Shades of Blue
by MysticIris
Summary: As the Negaverse's Friendly Four prepares for a new battle with Negaduck, one member of the Four reflects on his first battle with the criminal mastermind. Prequel to "Shadow's Curse" Rated M for graphic violence.
1. Past and Present

**Past and Present**

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* * *

**Author's Note: This story is a prequel to the story "Shadow's Curse." It isn't completely necessary to have read the previous story, especially when you get to the flashback section, but it would explain a few things if you did read it. It's up to you though. :) As always, the Darkwing universe and all of its characters are property of the Disney company. The OC Karl Fizzy, however, belongs to me.

* * *

Tension was draped over the small room like a thick sheet as two opponents squared off. Their eyes, one set mismatched and the other beady and black, were locked on each other. The two men waited with muscles taut for the other to make the first move. Waiting and waiting and then...zap!

One of them finally gave into impatience and let loose a burst of electricity. His opponent anticipated his move and easily leapt into the air to avoid the blow. Bells rang clearly as he somersaulted down to the ground. Another stream of electricity came his way, but once again his agility saved him from being hit. Without missing a beat, he advanced forward and then used his momentum to stage a powerful kick. The attack caught his electric opponent by surprise and the webbed foot connected directly with the plug strapped over his chest. The kick knocked him backwards and he slid several feet across the floor. His opponent made a triumphant bow to the groans and whistles of the audience.

"Well, that was certainly, um..." A soft-spoken baritone voice trailed off, clearly trying to find a polite way to express his thought.

"I believe the word you're looking for is anti-climactic." This response was given by a young child genius.

"It really was and after all that fuss he made about how important this lesson would be." The winner of the conflict bragged theatrically.

"Yes, right, thank you all for your input." The electric rodent Megavolt muttered grumpily. "Just wait until tomorrow when I fry your tail feathers, you lousy clown..."

"Are you all right?" His adopted daughter Gosalyn questioned as she ran over to check on him. He assured his anxious daughter that he was fine and the hit he took would barely leave a mark come tomorrow. Megavolt was about to say more when a loud voice cut him off.

"Feeling bruised, battered, utterly humiliated? That's okay! Just remember that today's training experience will come in handy when it's time to face the real thing." Liquidator pointed out in his glib manner as he slid across the floor to turn on the lights in the garage.

"Likky's right, Megs." Quackerjack told his electric friend as he continued to wear a sour look. "I imitated one of Negaduck's kicks just like you asked me too and you didn't respond in time to stop me. It was all just practice, so there shouldn't be any hard feelings, right?"

Quackerjack extended his hand down to Megavolt who took it so that he could get back on his feet. Once he was, he grasped the jester's hand a little bit longer and sent a small shock of electricity through the others system. The feeling was similar to be shocked by a joy buzzer and Quackerjack pulled his hand away in annoyance.

"Right. No hard feelings." Megavolt said as the jester stuck his tongue out at him. "Anyway, I think that's enough training for today."

"Now he thinks we've trained enough..." The toymaker said with an eye roll.

"I agree with Megavolt." Bushroot put in to forestall any more sarcastic jibes that might be forthcoming. "I'm kind of dead on my roots as it is. I'd rather not start wilting."

"Eight out of ten doctors agree that too much strenuous exercise can have bad side effects on our health." Liquidator quipped as he glided back over towards Bushroot.

"I concur with them. Plus, we always do our more rigorous training sessions in the Tower where there's much more space and, well, much less chance that we'll break something or burn down the house." Tank stated as he adjusted his glasses.

"Okay, everybody, you've made your points." Megavolt sounded exasperated, but his facial expression showed that he was more amused than anything else. "We'll resume our normal routine in the Tower tomorrow."

The routine that Megavolt was referring to was their daily training sessions that took place in Negaduck's former Tower. The Friendly Four had commandeered it after Negaduck had disappeared into the space between dimensions and they'd been using it for their purposes ever since. Once the crime lord was gone, the Four had taken to cleaning up the streets and trying to bring order to the unruly St. Canard. This hadn't been an easy task for them, but they were also seeing some good results come of their hard work. Without the self-proclaimed ruler of the Negaverse around, the city of St. Canard had made a turn around for the better. The Friendly Four plus Gosalyn and Tank had been certain that Negaduck was gone for good after his defeat by Darkwing.

Unfortunately, they had all been proven wrong when Negaduck had reappeared on Halloween night last year—or more accurately his shadow form. Morgana, a former member of the Negaverse's Fearsome Five now turned ally for the Friendly Four, had explained to them afterwords that the criminal mastermind managed to escape from the void between dimensions and land of a planet where he could obtain magical power. The witch had also stated that Negaduck was bound to come back some day and they'd best prepare for it.

Thus, ever since the nearly deadly encounter had taken place, the Friendly Four and their adopted daughter Gosalyn decided to start preparing for his inevitable return. Tank participated occasionally, but he was mostly busy gathering intelligence on magic spells, dimensional travel and determining where the most likely places would be for Negaduck to land when he did come back.

The Friendly Four and Gosalyn had started their training session in the afternoon as they normally did. Tank came up a little later to watch and share some of the information he'd gathered. When they had used the chairs to spin back down to their shared house on Avian Way, Megavolt had been insistent that they had to start mimicking some of Negaduck's moves to get in some more realistic practice. The adamant rodent brought them all into the garage where Quackerjack volunteered to imitate their greatest enemy. Bushroot, Liquidator, Tank and Gosalyn set themselves up in the sidelines to watch the showdown and the rest was history.

"Let's go back inside the house." Bushroot suggested waving his leaf in front of his face to mimic a fan. "I'm usually a fan of hot, humid weather, being part plant and all, but this blasted summer heat is started to dry me out."

"Yeah and it's getting close to dinner time." Tank noted with excitement. He was a big fan of the plant mutant's cooking.

"Oh, that's right!" The botanist said with a note of surprise in his voice. "I'd better ask some of my friends for their tomatoes and cucumbers if we're going to have that fresh garden salad I was going to make."

"Need help getting things together?" Quackerjack inquired in an innocent manner. "I'm handy with cutting things up, remember?"

"Yeah, about that...you know when I told you to chop up the vegetables finely? That's not the same as mashing them into a fine and completely useless paste." Bushroot made a wry face.

"Please note that when making food cutting is wise, but butchering is ill-advised."Liquidator added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Exactly." The plant duck stated, giving his liquid friend an appreciative smile.

"Spoilsports." Quackerjack replied with a pout.

Megavolt laughed at the toymaker's expression and was about to usher all of towards the inside of the house when a loud knock outside the garage door made them all pause. Wondering who it could be, the electric rodent walked over to the garage door opener and pressed the button. The door slid open and revealed the white-clad, blind sorceress Morgana. She gave a small bow to the group of people that she could sense, but not see.

"I apologize for dropping in on all of you without an invitation," Morgana started with hesitation clear in her tone, "but there's something important I feel that you need to hear."

"It's okay." Megavolt assured her, while the others exchanged bemused looks around him. "We'd like to hear what you have to tell us."

Morgana nodded and slowly walked into the hot garage. As soon as the witch entered the room, Liquidator left. She seemed to glance in his direction briefly, but her expression did not change. Gosalyn was almost certain that Morgana knew who had taken their leave when she had arrived and yet she did not seem at all offended by the move. In fact, it was a typical occurrence whenever she came by the house, Gosalyn noted as their magical ally prepared to speak.

"As you know, I've been using my powers to monitor any activity going on in the vast void between dimensions so that I could track any portals being created between our world and another. For the past couple months that I've been doing this, there hasn't been anything unusual going on in between dimensions and I haven't sensed any inter-dimensional travel. However, that's all changed as of this past week."

"Morgana, just tell us." The electric rat said with impatience as the tension in the room was building. Everyone was holding their breath with the same question on their minds. "Is Negaduck on his way back to our world?"

"No, he is not." She responded quickly and everyone else in the garage breathed a sigh of relief. "Though I wouldn't relax just yet. He isn't coming right now, but I think he may be returning to us sooner then I had originally anticipated. Recently, I've been sensing large energy surges in the void between dimensions and all of them have come from the same point in the time/space continuum. It was faint, but I could feel a bit of his presence in these surges. I tried to trace the bit of his presence I felt back to its origin and I now believe he's residing on an isolated planet that's light years away from ours. That I can even begin to sense his activity from here suggests that he's amassing vast amounts of power."

"So, do you have any idea when he'll return?" Bushroot inquired in a resigned tone of voice.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that for certain." Morgana replied apologetically. "What I can tell you for certain is that we should expect Negaduck to come back to this dimension before the end of this year."

Megavolt's, Quackerjack's and Bushroot's faces all mirrored the same grim expression as they took in the news. Tank and Gosalyn exchanged a troubled glance before they looked at Morgana again. They had all been hoping they would have more time than that.

"I'm sorry that I had to spoil your day with this, but I felt like it was my duty to tell you." The sorceress explained as she noticed how downtrodden all of them were after hearing what she had to say.

"Don't apologize." Quackerjack answered her in an unusually serious voice. "We're glad that you took the time to tell us. It will certainly give us a lot to talk about over dinner tonight."

"Speaking of dinner, I should probably head back to my Manor. I left something boiling in one of my brewing pots that I should get back to before it makes a mess. Excuse me." She never liked to linger long, given how uncomfortable she generally made things for them whenever she dropped by, so this excuse was made just as much for their sake as it was for hers. The witch gave them a quick wave goodbye, then turned on her heel to leave.

"Thank you again Morgana!" Megavolt called after her as she made her way out of the garage. He glanced at both of his comrades and they immediately began discussing the new intelligence they had been given. With her guardians distracted, Gosalyn decided that it was now or never if she wanted to ask the question that had been on her mind for a long time.

Morgana had just exited the garage when a hand stopped her. She realized it was Gosalyn and she graced the curly-haired duckling with a friendly smile.

"What is it, Gosalyn?"

"Um," the young girl started, knowing that what she was about to say might not be taken well, "can I ask you something?"

"Anything dear. What do you want to know?"

"It's, well..." Gosalyn swallowed, looked into the translucent eyes of the older woman as she decided it was time to be assertive, "why doesn't Liquidator like you?"

As soon as she heard the question, the smile faded from Morgana's face. She averted her eyes from Gosalyn and turned away slightly as if she'd been stung.

"I'm sorry," the red-haired duckling told her after an awkward pause, "it's just that I was concerned. I know that you and Liquidator aren't on good terms, but I think it would be better for all of us if we got along. That's why I asked the question. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Morgana didn't say anything for a moment. Abruptly, she patted Gosalyn on the shoulder with a forced smile on her face. The kind child knew that the sorceress was trying to make her feel better, but the fake smile only accentuated the pained expression she was trying to hide.

"It's okay. I know you're just curious about it. I should have expected the question sooner or later, I suppose."

"So, will you tell me why?"

"Not today. Maybe some other time."

She tried to leave again, but Gosalyn stopped her with more questions.

"Is there any way to mend things between you two? Would it help if you apologized?" The young girl inquired innocently.

Morgana gave a deep sigh and folded her hands tightly in front of her white dress. Her milky green eyes stared unseeing at the pavement below her and her head was hung in remorse. Indeed, her entire form seemed to be hunched forward as if weighed down by some unpleasant memory. After a long pause, her lips parted, almost against her will and she spoke in a soft, heartsick voice:

"Gosalyn, you are innocent, sensitive, sweet and so very, very young. When you're a child, things seem much simpler than they are. When you grow older and become an adult, well, then you understand that there are some things that you've done that can't be absolved with a few words like, "I'm sorry." There are things that can happen between two people that can not be forgotten no matter how much time has passed or how much either party has changed..."

Gosalyn listened intently as the sorceress spoke and waited patiently as she trailed off, wondering what she would do next. The red-haired duckling really didn't know what to say after what she'd heard, so she said nothing at all. Morgana didn't speak another word, instead she walked slowly away from the former daughter of Negaduck. Gosalyn called after her, but wind had picked up out of nowhere and whirled around Morgana's figure, engulfing her. A flash of light blinded the young girl temporarily and the next thing she knew, the witch had disappeared. She stared at the place where the older woman had disappeared for a moment longer, lost in thought and feeling a bit guilty, then turned and headed back into the garage.

Megavolt, Bushroot and Quackerjack were discussing something amongst themselves and didn't seem as if they had noticed her conversation with Morgana or the witch's abrupt exit. Seeing that Liquidator had not come back to join the others, Gosalyn went inside the house to search for the watery being. As she entered the house, she spotted Tank who looked as though he was studying something. She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and he gave her a smile as a greeting.

"Hey! What's on your mind?" She asked with interest.

Tank didn't give her any verbal explanation. Instead, he pointed towards the living room and to the single inhabitant of it. Liquidator was sitting on the couch with his watery hands between his knees. His translucent blue eyes were set on the television that wasn't on and his mouth was fixed in a single line. The water dog's entire form was still and he made no sound. It was clear that he was lost in some type of unhappy revelry and, if it wasn't for the fact that his body was visible on the couch, the kids would have sworn that he was no longer living with them and had disappeared into the past.

Gosalyn and Tank exchanged a worried glance before both of them made the same decision. They walked timidly towards the Liquidator, who had yet to move a muscle from his position on the couch. When they walked into his line of sight, the wet dog blinked in surprise as he snapped out of his thoughts. A small smile formed on his fluid features as the two children looked at him, wondering what they should say.

"Hello, Gosalyn, Tank." He greeted them as cheerfully as he could manage. " Do you two need anything?"

"No," Gosalyn shook her head emphatically, "we really don't need anything. Actually, we wanted to know if _you_ needed something."

"Me?" Liquidator asked with a small chuckle. "All reports of customer satisfaction suggest that the Liquidator has everything he could want. Other character studies state that if this ex-salesman was really in need of something, he would work towards getting it."

Even as he spoke in his typical ad jargon, both of the kids could tell that his normal salesman voice didn't have any of its usual boisterousness to it. It made his words seem very hollow and it was Tank who decided to clarify what Gosalyn had meant by her question.

"The two of us weren't talking about any sort of commercial need. Rather, we were trying to ask you if you were okay. You've been sitting listlessly on this couch ever since Morgana came by..."

Tank left off there for he could see the inquisitive expression on the liquid dog's face had changed to one of deep anger. He noticed that Liquidator's insides began to bubble and his form was giving off small spirals of steam. Both Gosalyn and Tank took a step away from him out of uncertainty and concern for what would happen to them if their guardian lost his temper. Seeing that he was scaring the kids, Liquidator took a deep breath and restored his form to its normal properties.

"I'm sorry you two. I didn't mean to scare you both. Psychological studies have shown that the worst of me comes forward whenever **she** comes by."

Neither of them had to ask who 'she' was. Gosalyn went to her water dog guardian and gave him the best hug that she could. Liquidator smiled at the gesture and wrapped her in his fluid arms. After a moment of peaceful silence, his daughter pushed away from him and met his blue eyes were her deep green ones.

"Liquidator, there's something that I've wanted to know for a while. Will you please tell me what happened between you and Morgana?"

The ex-salesman stiffened in his seat and responded in a quiet voice.

"The FCC rating system shows that this story is not appropriate for minors."

"While that may be true," Tank stated in his educational tone of voice, "I can personally tell you that living with my parents and Gosalyn living with Negaduck has shown us some things that most children only see in nightmares."

"If it helps," the red-haired duckling added before her guardian could protest again, "I already know a little part of the story."

Liquidator expression was melancholic as he responded to her statement. She was talking about the first time they had met. "Yes. Yes, that is true. So much has happened since then, I had almost forgotten about it..."

It was then that Liquidator recalled how frightened she had looked when she first saw him. It was not his appearance that had scared her, far from it. Rather, she had been concerned about his condition and had taken a big risk on his behalf. She and Tank both, now that he thought about it.

"We're only trying to help you." Tank broke the silence that had occurred between the three of them. "It's certainly not our intention to pry."

"That's right." Gosalyn concurred firmly. "The two of us just want to know what really happened. The whole story from beginning to end. Please?"

Liquidator gazed into Gosalyn's green eyes that were both pleading and earnest. He sighed again, this time in resignation.

"Nine out of nine justices show you have pleaded your case and won." Both of the kids smiled warmly at him, but he pointed to the floor before they could express their gratitude. "Get comfortable. This is a long story."

Gosalyn and Tank immediately obeyed his command and found places where they could sprawl out on the floor. Once they were settled, Liquidator took a deep breath and started speaking in steady voice.

"It all started two years ago, back when I was just a meager bottled water salesman named Bud Flood. I had never been a supporter of Negaduck and his policies, even then. As you both know, Negaduck had slowly been taking control over all the resources in the city. It had been a particularly hot summer that year, which caused bottled water sales to skyrocket. Our increased profit margins caught the eye of the city's most famous crime lord, who wanted our capital profits to be used only for his personal gain. This is where this tale truly begins..."

* * *

There was no sound in the dimly lit room as everyone took their seats around the oval table. The thick silence was broken by the sounds of chairs squeaking and clothes rustling as everyone finally settled. A grim element permeated the air as each of the occupants of the room looked at each other, wondering who should start. Finally, one of the men on the left side of the table loudly cleared his throat to get the others attention.

"Well, Gentlemen and Lady," the stringy mallard nodded to the only woman at the table who curtly nodded back, "there's no need for us to beat around the bush, so to speak. We all know why we're here."

Indeed every person in the room was well aware of why they were there and what they risked by even coming together in the first place. Five of them were the corporate heads of bottled water companies in St. Canard, the two most recognizable of which were the Koo Koo Fizzy Water head Karl Fizzy and Sparkling Crystal Flood Water Company's Bud Flood. Karl Fizzy, the stringy duck who had just spoken up, was better known as Koo Koo Karl and was instantly recognizable by his disheveled, mile high red hair, his eccentric mismatching outfit and his large webbed feet. He could have easily been mistaken for a clown, if not for the cloud of arrogance that seemed to engulf him from head to toe. Bud Flood, who was sitting on the opposite side from Karl, was a tall canine with brown fur, black hair with purple highlights and beady black eyes. He made his best efforts to look professional no matter what the situation and his brown business suit was pristine as always.

"Now that we're all here, we need to decide what we're going to do with the—shall we say _ultimatum_ that we've been given." Karl continued with a pointed look as everyone around the table nodded.

Negaduck, the self-proclaimed leader of the Negaverse, had set his sights on owning everything in St. Canard and was now making his move on the bottled water companies. He had already made a valiant effort to pollute the tap water for the residents of the city, but with clean bottled water still on the market, he couldn't complete the task of controlling the water supply. In the past three days, all the corporate heads of bottled water companies had received a message from the chainsaw wielding mallard that basically boiled down to 'give up your company to me or else.' No one had to ask what the 'or else' part referred to. There was rarely a case where someone defied Negaduck and lived to tell about it.

"While I hate to be the one to voice this, it is time that we faced the inevitable. We all knew that Negaduck was going to try to covet our assets eventually and he has plenty of thugs around to make sure that he gets what he wants. I know that we've all put a lot of hard work into building the fortunes that we have and don't want to give up our autonomy, but we cannot hope to defy the Lord of St. Canard and win."

Most heads around the table nodded their assent, but a loud, barking voice broke the silence and grabbed their attention.

"You can't be serious!" Bud Flood said in disbelief. "You just want all of us to give up without a fight? The only way that it's certain that we'll lose this battle is if we don't even try."

"Valiant as always, Flood." Karl replied curtly. "Valiant and foolish. While your energy has always been appreciated, your philosophical points are not. The cold hard facts in front of our faces show that if we defy him we will all die. Now, I love what I do, you all know that, but I'm certainly not willing to die for it."

He tried to go on, but he was interrupted as Bud Flood got to his feet and slammed his fists into the table.

"This isn't just about you! What we decide to do here won't just affect our lives, but the lives of everyone in this city."

"I'm sure they'll understand." The red haired duck responded mildly. "After all, if they minded what he was doing so much, why isn't anyone trying to stop him?"

"There **are** people trying to stop them and you know it!"

"I hope you're not referring to electrician that fried his brain with one of his experiments or that plant thing from St. Canard University. Those two have padded cells waiting for them in the loony bin. Hardly what one would refer to as a resistance."

"Please, five out five statisticians could tell you that's all media propaganda spread by Negaduck himself! Besides, what about the owner of Quackerjack toys or any of the normal citizens who took a stand against this maniac? You can't just write all of them off as crazy."

"Well, that toymaker has always had a few screws loose, in my humble opinion." Karl said dismissively. "As for the normal everyday citizens standing up to Lord Negaduck, let me ask you this, Flood. Where are these people? I've certainly never see them. I don't think I have to explain to you why that is."

"First of all, any advertising campaign that refers to Negaduck as a 'Lord' of anything automatically discredits itself in my book. Secondly, yes, I'm well aware of what the criminal mastermind in question does to people who break his rules or outright oppose them, but I'll tell you something. I bet you that none of those people regret what they did. They weren't just going to hide in their homes and accept things as they were because some megalomaniac with a chainsaw wanted to rule the city. They realized that they didn't want to live in a place where they weren't allowed to even purchase a toy for their children, listen to the music of their preference or where every growing plant or tree was torn out or burnt down. There's no happiness to be found when a ruler mandates what you can eat, what you listen to, when you can leave your home or whether or not you can have clean water. These normal everyday citizens are fighting back because they know that just letting that happen, living in constant fear of being killed for the most trivial of crimes isn't living at all. It's waiting to die."

Everyone around the table was silent as he looked at each of them. Most couldn't meet his eyes and those that did were glaring defiance. The only supportive pair of eyes he saw in the room were the green eyes of Morgana Mawcaber. The tall duck with long black hair colored with white streaks that fell past her shoulders in a tight white dress was the sole female occupant of the room and was also the only one who wasn't a bottled water corporate head. The reason she was participating in this was because she used water in quite a few of her products and the lack of clean water was affecting her as of late. Bud considered her the only ally and friend he had in the entire room at the moment.

"What a touching sermon." Karl's tone made it clear that he meant the exact opposite of his words. "Have you ever considered the career path of a priest, Flood? I think you'd be quite suited to it."

Bud merely scowled at his sarcasm, but said nothing in return, refusing to be provoked by a childish jibe.

"As for the entire dying scenario that my dear friend across the table seems to be so keen on, I think I have a realistic solution to that problem. You see, I decided to see Lord Negaduck personally over this matter and I can assure you he was a very reasonable man to deal with. He told me that if we agreed to hand over our companies to him, then we would be able to keep the majority of our earnings, provided we each pay a small fee to him each month."

"Pray tell what this fee is for? Could it be a 'do not kill me' fee or is it required for funding his efforts to find spineless spokesmen to preach his wonderful agenda?" Bud questioned scathingly.

Karl ignored him. "In addition to what he's already generously offering, he's informed me that he will secretly befoul all of our water vats so that we'll have no liability. If the media asks any questions, we just say that we have no idea who did it and the police are investigating the matter. Our hands will be wiped clean of the incident and no suspicion will fall upon us." He crossed his arms and smiled smugly. "You won't get a much better deal than that, if I do say so myself."

Bud was about to interject again when a new voice beat him to it.

"Well, that all sounds very, shall we say, _convenient_." Morgana said a little too sweetly. "Forgive me if the phrase, 'too good to be true,' pops into my mind. This **is** Negaduck we're all talking about here. What makes you think he's going to abide by some contract he makes with you? Isn't his entire regime based upon the idea that he is above the law, while everyone else is subject to it?"

The sleek sales dog grinned at her words, seeing a vein begin to throb in Karl's temple.

"Well, Ms. Mawcaber if you have a better proposition, I'd like to hear it."

"With all due respect, I think your proposition of handing over all your companies to the most notorious criminal in St. Canard is little more running away from your problems with your tail tucked between your legs. Negaduck will only pretend to cooperate with you and your friends as long as he deems it necessary and then he'll find a way to get rid all of you. If you give in to his demands, you'll be rewarded with temporary safety followed very quickly by death. If you defy him and try to hang on to your companies—"

"Yes, yes, we know. We'll all die." Karl stated testily with an eye roll.

"Actually, I was going to say you might die." She replied primly, shrugging her shoulders. "The outcome could be the same, but if you don't take any risks you'll never know what could have been. Surely you business men aren't afraid to take some risks."

"I know I'm not." Bud answered with his usual confidence.

"Well, I and, dare I say, my associates," he panned his arm across the table, "know that taking unnecessary risks can damage and permanently capsize a profitable venture. Forgive me if I seem rude Ms. Mawcaber, but I think I can counter you're little phrase with one of my own: 'better safe then sorry.' I want to make sure I live to see my next profits and there is nothing more important to me then my life. I think the wisest and most business friendly position would be to take Negaduck's offer."

"So that's it, then?" Bud asked angrily. "Your just going to hand more power over to Negaduck just to save your tail feathers? I always knew you were nothing more than a hack."

"And I always knew that you were an unreasonable tightwad who disagreed with me at every turn just for the sake of being contrary. Face it Flood, you've lost and none of your brilliant speeches or temper tantrums are going to change that."

The owner of the Sparkling Crystal Pure Flood Water Company just shook his head, knowing that trying to debate with Karl would be a waste of his breath. His eyes scanned the other three corporate heads around the table.

"So, what say the rest of you?" Bud's voice had taken a no nonsense tone. "Surely you're not buying this tripe about a vindictive, two-timing crime lord giving us some kind of immunity deal. There's so much more at stake than our lives! You understand that, don't you?"

His urging got him no response other than stubborn glares and frowns. Undeterred, he plowed forward with his speech, determined to get them to listen to him.

"If we band together and go against Negaduck's wishes, then we'll send a message to all the good citizens of St. Canard. As long as we fight him together, we don't have to be afraid any more. The city can be restored to what it was and we can finally—"

"Oh, will you put a sock in it!" One of the other corporate heads spat impatiently. "Look, you're idealistic view of the world might work for you and everyone here knows how much you like to hear yourself talk and put yourself on a pedestal because you're so much more virtuous and whatnot, but enough is enough. I'm not going to die just to promote your ideals and neither are these two and that's that."

Bud Flood forced himself to swallow his fury before he said something he would really regret. Folding his hands on his lap, he looked at each occupant of the table one last time.

"You're sure you won't change your minds?" He spoke softly, almost pleadingly.

His only replies were sneers from the three other corporate heads and a smug smile from Karl Fizzy. Abruptly, Bud stood up from his chair and turned his back to his audience.

"Very well, then. Sign away your companies and put your trust in the devil. Obviously, I won't be joining you." He said coldly from over his shoulder. "Don't come crying to me when you find knives in your backs."

Without waiting for a reply, he stormed out of the small office room briskly, slamming the door as he left.

Once outside, he kicked some of the garbage that was piled up around his feet. Bud tried to take a breath of fresh air to calm himself, but the air itself was now so foul that it only served to further ignite his temper.

"Cowards!" He spat as he surveyed what was left of a once beautiful city.

Everywhere he looked, grime covered the buildings, roads and sidewalks. Litter was piled high on the sidewalks and the once bustling downtown shopping district was now devoid of any life. Shop windows were broken, lighted signs were blinking weakly if they hadn't been destroyed entirely and there was no merchandise to be seen. The building closest to him was one of the Quackerjack Toy shops that had once brought so much joy to the children of the city with its one-of-a-kind, hand crafted old fashioned toys. Now, all the colors on the store were fading, the glass window was smashed in, obscuring most of the logo and the only thing close to a toy was a stuffed teddy bear head that had been forcefully torn off its body. The toy industry in St. Canard had been successfully abolished a few months earlier.

_Now the bottled water industry will go the same way. Negaduck's lackies will show up and taint all of our water vats. Then, the only thing the citizens of St. Canard will have to their names will be electricity and who knows how long it will be before that megalomaniac goes after that. I can't let this happen! _Bud determined with his fists balled. _There has to be something I can do about this…_

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a rustling motion in the corner of his eye. Turning towards one of the seemingly deserted alley ways, he caught a brief glimpse of a brown coat tail disappearing behind one of the walls. Now aware that someone had been watching him, Bud took a couple quiet steps towards the small space in between the deserted buildings. He stopped abruptly when the cloaked figure appeared again of their own will. The dog couldn't make out any features on the suspect in question though he thought he heard the soft chime of bells as they crept forward. The figure had their back pressed against the wall and their head turned away, but their gloved hand was now completely visible and it was beckoning him to come closer. Curious, but also cautious, he decided he would see what it was this stranger wanted when a disembodied voice startled him.

"You certainly know how to make friends."

The water salesman jumped in surprise and whirled around to see the slender figure of Morgana Macawber assemble herself in thin air. This didn't surprise the water mogul as it should have for he was one of the few people outside of her immediate family who knew that she was a real witch. The pair had become good friends last year when they made a deal to let her use some of his water to make some of her potions. She had been looking for particularly pure water for her recipes and his had fit the bill. It was why she was just as concerned as he was about Negaduck's newfound interest in the bottled water industry.

"Yes, well, ten out of ten psychological studies suggest that having friends like those is worse than having an enemy. Your enemy will try to stab you from the front, while these 'friends' will aim for your back."

"They have proven to be rather worthless, haven't they?" Morgana added lightly, combing her fingers through her long black hair. "Though considering what my dealings with them have been like in the past, I can't say I'm all that surprised that they've chosen the easy way out. Whenever push came to shove, those smug, tough guy business tycoons up there devolved into wimpy little boys wringing their hands and crying that it was unfair." She ended her statement with a long eye roll with her deep green eyes. "It's no wonder that you and I became business partners. You're the only one of them with any backbone or drive, not to mention you're better looking than all of them combined."

Bud flashed his business partner an award winning smile after that compliment. He took one of her slender hands and brought it to his lips in a soft kiss.

"You've always been easy on the eyes yourself, Morgana."

There was no guile in the salesman's words as he said this. Morgana was a tall, slender duck who came up to his shoulder. She wore a tight-fitting white dress that was offset well by her long black hair with white streaks that fell just past her shoulders. Her green eyes were captivating and Bud had wondered more than once if that sparkle he saw in them was natural or if she used some spell to enhance them. Nevertheless, they were beautiful, as was she, and he had been very glad to see her as of late. She had been his only ally at that table as she had always been his only ally against Negaduck. He had been surprised to find someone else who was willing to speak openly about their negative views of the crime lord and had quickly grown to like their partnership on a personal level.

"Thank you, dear heart."She responded sweetly, drawing back her hand. "I just wish that there were more people out there like you who were willing to take a stand instead of just running away."

"Me too," came his wistful sigh. Remembering the figure he had seen earlier, he took a brief glance over his shoulder to where he had spotted them hiding. Whoever it was had left the scene and, though he had expected that to be the case, he couldn't help feeling a touch of disappointment.

"What's the matter? Are you looking for something?" Morgana questioned curiously as he continued to stare over his shoulder.

"More like someone." He answered cryptically as he turned back to her. She raised an eyebrow at him in an irritated fashion and he chuckled. She hated it when someone purposely withheld information from her. "Before you appeared out of thin air, I saw someone hiding in the alley. I thought they might have wanted to talk to me, but it looks like they took off."

She frowned deeply. "That's probably for the best. I don't think anyone who has to resort to skulking around abandoned alleys would be up to anything good."

"That depends on what your definition of 'good' is." Bud said with a shrug. "These days, people with good intentions are forced into the shadows, while people like Negaduck and his flunkies walk around in broad daylight. Besides, we're out in the open talking about how we don't like what our local crime lord is up to. I'm sure that in Negaduck's mind we're the bad guys for thinking that he doesn't have the right to tear up our fair city like this."

"You have a point, but I'd still advise caution." Morgana insisted with the same deep frown. "You're a renowned salesman with a lot of money and enough influence to be a thorn in Negaduck's side. I'd hate to see you put your trust in the wrong person and get hurt."

"I can take care of myself, Morg, but thank you for worrying about me all the same. I'll be careful, I promise."

"You'd better be," the witch told him with a smile as a spark formed on her finger, "or I'll come by and drive the point home."

He watched as the spark flared shortly, then sizzled out. He shook his head at the display and thought, not for the first time, that he was glad they were on the same side. The water salesman returned her mischievous smile with one of his own.

"Talk about making me an offer I can't refuse," Bud said with a wink. "I think it's about time for me to head back to my home anyway. It's been one of those disappointing days that can only be salvaged with a glass of wine."

"A good glass of wine does wonders no matter what kind of day it is." Morgana agreed as she watched him depart with a wave of his hand. "Take care of yourself, Buddy. I'll be in touch."

"I'll look forward to it!" He called back at her as he started the long walk back to his apartment. Try as he might, he couldn't push away his morbid thoughts about the future of St. Canard as the sun set over the smoky horizon. Little did he know that he was about to set events in motion that would change the course of his life forever...

* * *

Author's Note: Sooooo, how did you like it? Personally, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, especially once the actual flashback started. I'm pretty far into chapter two, so I'm hoping to update fairly soon if everything goes well.


	2. Siren

**Siren  
**

**

* * *

**

Three days later, Bud Flood was in a much better mood as he entered his executive office on the top floor of the building. He had built the Sparkling Pure Crystal Flood Water Company from the ground up and every time he entered his office he felt a surge of pride to have come as far as he had. The water salesman had gotten where he was with his work ethic and his honest business practices. Running a company was hard work and it had its moments of frustration, but it was also very rewarding to know that his product was satisfying so many customers in St. Canard.

Bud had just finished pouring himself a hot cup of coffee when he heard a loud knock on his door. Puzzled at having someone come up to see him so early, he opened it to find one of his secretaries standing outside his office. Her name was Lana and she was a young deer woman in her early twenties who had been with him for a little over a year. She was short and petite, only coming up to his chest in her red high heels, which went nicely with the red blouse she was wearing. The young deer woman looked up at him shyly, holding a newspaper in her slender, perfectly manicured hand.

"I'm sorry to bother you so early, sir," Lana said to him in a soft spoken manner, "but I thought you might want to see this."

She quickly handed it to him and he took a look at the big, bold type on the front cover of the newspaper. His earlier good mood completely evaporated and disgust curdled in his stomach as he read the headline cover story that took up the front page. The bold title read, '_**Mysterious Plague Effecting Bottled Water Supply**__'_and listed that two St. Canard water companies were already suffering from befouled water vats. The two owners claimed that they had no idea who did it. It went on to list the usual suspects from Negaduck's enemy list as the culprits and offered a reward for their capture. By the time he reached the end of the article, he wanted to roll the entire paper up and throw it into the garbage.

"Mr. Flood, sir, are you all right? I didn't mean to upset you." Lana's timid voice brought him back to reality. She was looking at him with large, blue eyes that were filled with concern. He realized that some of his roiling emotions must be showing on his face.

"Thank you dear, I'm fine. You didn't do anything wrong by bringing this to me. In fact, I'm grateful that you care enough about this company to share this information with me." Bud gave her one of his winning smiles and he was happy to see that she returned it with a small smile of her own.

"Well, I thought you'd want a little bit of context before I told you that the police were on the line for you. They wanted to ask you if your water supply was still clean. They were also wondering if you'd thought about taking heightened security measures over your vats."

"Wonderful." Bud muttered with a hand over his eyes. Much of the police force had been infiltrated with Negaduck's flunkies and they were the last people he wanted around guarding his water.

"Not the best way to start the morning, is it?" The rhetorical question was said in a sympathetic voice. This elicited a brief chuckle from the water salesman, who had just been thinking about how much simpler his life had been five minutes earlier.

"I hate being the bearer of bad news. Oh, but maybe I can make it better." Lana hastily dug into a binder that she had brought with her and pulled out a white envelope. "This came for you, though it doesn't have a return address. It might just be junk mail, but it is addressed to you and I didn't want to throw it out without you seeing it."

Bud took it from her carefully and was surprised to see that his name and the entire address had been made with magazine clippings. The lack of any return address aroused his suspicion, but at the same time, he was also very curious about who would take so much caution in writing to him.

"Thank you for bringing this to me." He said at length as he smiled back at her. "Is there anything else you needed to tell me?"

"No, that was all." She said with a turn of her heel. "Thanks for your time, Mr. Flood. I hope the rest of your day gets better."

"Me too." Bud replied resolutely. "Let me know if anything else comes up."

"Certainly sir." Lana affirmed in her normal polite manner before turning and heading back towards the elevator.

The rest of the morning was spent talking on the phone to the chief of police, who was very insistent about sending his own people to his company to help for security purposes. Unfortunately for the officer, Bud Flood wasn't the kind of dog who rolled over easily. The water salesman spent the rest of the phone conversation wearing down his opponent by shooting down the other man's ideas, weighing his other options, and giving well thought out excuses. The corporate head was well aware of who was behind the chief of police's overwhelming concern for his assets. Bud wasn't about to give Negaduck an opening without a fight.

Finally, after a couple of hours of discussion and debate, the exasperated officer gave up on his security ploy. He ended the long conversation by telling the water salesman that he could figure out his own damn security options and, that if his water was poisoned and the company went under, it would be his fault. Bud got in the last word, as usual, thanking the man for his time and telling him that he felt as though they had finally made an agreement that benefited both of them. He hung up on the bewildered chief of police and sighed as he leaned back in his comfy office chair.

_So, Karl and the others have already sold out and implemented their plan…which means that I am now officially on Negaduck's bad side. I've just dodged one of his bullets, but this one was only a warning shot. I don't know how I'll fair once he really starts firing, if it comes to that._

Bud leaned forward and put both his elbows on his desk with his hands pressed against the sides of his muzzle. He continued to mull over his grim situation.

_I don't really have anyone to turn to either. Morgana would help me out if I asked, but I don't want to put her in danger. I wish I knew even a couple people who were brave enough to take a stand against Negaduck. I know they're out there, but where do I find them?_

Bud's eyes lingered as he pondered the possible answer to his question. That's when he noticed the white envelope he had set aside on his desk. He had forgotten about it when he was thwarting the officer on the phone. Reaching across the desk and grabbing it, he wondered if this letter might hold the answer to his question.

Bud hastily retrieved the letter opener from his desk and tentatively slit the white envelope. Before he pulled out the letter inside, he shook it over his desk, wary of any dangerous substances that might have made it into the sealed package. To his relief, only a blank sheet of paper landed on the desk, which he quickly flipped over to see if anything was written on the other side. There was nothing handwritten there, but there was a message for him that had been made with clipped out letters from various magazine clippings just like the address on the envelope. Picking it up to get a clearer look, he read the short message from the anonymous sender.

_To Mr. Bud Flood,_

_ We are aware of your situation with Negaduck and we want to help you fight back. If you are interested, meet us at the Lighthouse by St. Canard Pier at 7:30 tonight. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Your Friends_

The water salesman read the letter over again before setting it down on his desk and folding his hands on his lap. It was certainly lacking in details and sketchy. In fact, those were the only two things that were certain about it. If they really were his friends as they claimed, they wouldn't have stooped to giving him a letter with no return address that consisted of a short message inside rendered from magazine clippings.

Yet, this level of discretion and secrecy intrigued him. Whoever it was clearly knew that he was no fan of Negaduck or they wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to cover up their identities. From that alone, he could infer that whoever had sent him this note were high on Negaduck's wanted list.

_These might just be the people I'm looking for. It's risky, but then I didn't get to be the head of a company by playing it safe. Besides, if it turns out to be a trap, I'll be ready. _ He patted the right side of his jacket, which covered the concealed weapon attached to his belt. It was only a small handgun, but it would suffice in a tight spot. _I just hope it doesn't come to that. _

With his decision made, Bud spent the rest of the day keeping busy. He arranged his security with a private firm and spent the remainder of the day looking over his earnings for the month. Soon enough, five o'clock rolled around and it was time for him to leave. He made a short pit stop at his apartment to drop off his things and get a snack before he headed for the St. Canard lighthouse.

* * *

Bud arrived at the appointed meeting place fifteen minutes early, which was what he hoped would happen. He did a quick survey of the area before choosing his vantage point by a couple of large shipping crates. The salesman wanted to find a place where he was sure his back was covered just in case something went wrong. Leaning up against one of the crates, he glanced back and forth every couple of minutes to see if anyone was coming. Reminding himself that he was a bit early, he patiently waited for any sign of his anonymous authors. At seven thirty on the dot, his patience was rewarded by a bouncing figure in a brown trench coat and matching top hat, who was giggling madly and jingling his way down the path.

"See? See? I told you it was a good idea!" The bouncing man said as he leaped into the air, somersaulted and landed a foot away from Bud.

Bud wondered who this jovial man was talking to. Looking behind the first man, he spotted a shorter, skinnier one running to catch up with his theatrical partner. He was also wearing the same trench coat and hat combination, except that a pair of large, blue boots was sticking out from beneath the coat and there was a bulge from something being carried on his back.

"I guess I owe you one." The nasally voice replied with disbelief. It seemed that he hadn't expected the water salesman to show up after reading the letter.

"You owe him dinner, if I remember the wager correctly."

Bud whipped around at the sound of another voice. Another man had snuck up on him, wearing the same set of identical clothing as his partners. This man looked even skinnier than the one with the nasally voice, but there was something very odd about him. Even under his long brimmed hat, Bud could tell that there was something off about his complexion and that his feet—if you could call them that—seemed to be wooden instead of webbed.

On his guard now as the three gathered around him, he slipped a hand into his jacket and calmly waited for one of them to explain themselves. The third man who had appeared put his gloved hands in front of him, (which Bud found odd as well considering they were winter gloves and it was currently the middle of the hot summer), in an attempt to forestall any hasty maneuvers.

"It's okay. We're the ones who wrote the letter and we just wanted to talk to you. We aren't here to hurt you."

The reassuring statement from the soft baritone voice put him more at ease, but not enough for him to remove his hand from inside his jacket. The dog raised an eyebrow and waited for more of an explanation.

"You are Bud Flood, right?" The question came from the nasally voiced man this time. Bud nodded affirmative.

"Of course he's Bud Flood, silly!" Raucous jingling followed a yelp as the first man slapped the second one on the back pretty hard. "Don't you recognize him from the commercials on TV or the ads in the paper? He's 'Bud Bud Bud Buddy Flood' –right?"

The man had imitated the female voice that sung his name in the ads perfectly, which coaxed a smile onto the canine's face.

"One hundred percent of polls surveyed suggest that you have the right dog. As always, he's pleased to find that his viral advertising campaign has been a success."

"Wow, you really do talk like that." The first man said, who seemed to have finally calmed down. He stopped bouncing and his voice took on a more serious inflection. "Anyway, we'd like to explain ourselves fully, but we can't do it out here. You never know who could be listening."

It was an astute point, one that Bud couldn't argue with. He studied each of them, trying to glean any signs of a trap. Understanding what he was thinking, the third man spoke up again.

"If you're not comfortable, then we won't force you to come with us," he said carefully, "but we really do want you to hear what we have to say. Please?"

Bud could make out a very candid pair of blue eyes from underneath the hat and he finally removed the hand from inside his jacket.

"Alright, you've all got me sold. Where to?"

"This way." The shortest of the three men waved towards the Lighthouse. The four of them headed over to it in silence, save for the jingling of bells. The skinniest man with the wooden feet stayed behind the three of them to watch their backs, while the other two flanked him and continually took in their surroundings. They arrived at the front door of the Lighthouse without a problem and Bud watched as the man with the nasally voice pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

"Do you all live here?" Bud couldn't help but ask. After all, how could anyone live in a place like this?

"Well, I do." The one who had opened the door said as he walked inside. "These two have their own hideouts, but we do hang out here a lot."

"You can ask us anything you want once we're inside." The tall man with the jingle bells informed him when Bud had opened his mouth again. He then made an 'after you' gesture with his arms and the water salesman walked inside. The really skinny man with the odd complexion closed the door behind him. Once it was securely locked, the four of them made their way up the stairs.

_I wonder if I've made a mistake. _Bud thought, not for the first time. _I guess there's no point in worrying about it now. I've decided to trust them and if it really is a trap—well—I'll figure something out if it happens._

After a short climb, they made their way to a door at the top of the Lighthouse. The man in front opened it and they all walked inside after him. Bud was astonished when he panned the room to see all kinds of different electrical appliances covering almost every inch of the furniture, tables, and most of the floor.

"Um, sorry about the mess in here." The one with the nasally voice sounded a bit self-conscious about the state of his living quarters. "I do a lot of experiments and, as you can probably tell, I really get into my work."

"What kind of work?" Bud questioned as he continued to survey all the machines in the room. "Are you a mechanic?" A light sparked in his black eyes as he thought of something. "Or perhaps an electrician?"

"The later is as close a description as you're going to get."

"I'd heard a rumor that there has been a man who has tried to thwart Negaduck for as long as he's been around." Bud replied cryptically studying the figure with a newfound interest. "A man who can, supposedly, shoot electricity from his fingers."

"I take it your asking if I'm that man." The water salesman couldn't see the other man's face very well, but he could tell that he was smiling. Slowly the figure raised his blue gloved hands and brought them close together. Sparks of electricity began dancing between his finger tips and Bud let out an audible gasp at the sight.

"The rumors you've heard are true." The man slowly brought his hands back down and untied his jacket. He then removed his hat, revealing a small rat wearing a plug hat, chest strap plug-in, a utility belt, blue boots and a large battery strapped to his back. He gave a friendly smile to the canine who continued to examine his strange attire. "My real name is Elmo Sputterspark, but everyone calls me Megavolt."

"Megavolt?" Bud repeated with a touch of excitement. "The Megavolt who's on the top of Negaduck's most wanted list for getting in his way every chance he gets? That Megavolt?"

"The one and only." The rat responded with pride. "I'm glad to see that you've heard of me."

"Don't act so surprised, Megs!" The energetic man spoke up next and flipped his way over to rodent's side. "You've been fighting Negaduck for the longest and you're still alive. If that's not a feat, I don't know what is."

A faint blush tinted Megavolt's cheeks as his jovial friend threw an arm around him. Jingle bells rang as the man turned his attention back to Bud.

"Anyway, if you're looking for people who don't like Negaduck, then, boy, have you come to the right place. All of us have our reasons for not liking him and not just because of what he's doing to the city."

"Glad to hear it. What's your reason for disliking him enough to actively work against him, if I might inquire?"

"Well, I _could_ just tell you, but what would be the fun in that? I am a big fan of guessing games, so I'll think I'll let you figure it out for yourself."

Bud was about to barter for more information when the other man theatrically threw off his brown overcoat and hat. This revealed a duck with a large bill and a wide buck-toothed smile. He was wearing a red and purple harlequin hat with jingle bells attached to the ends, which effectively masked his face. The hat matched a red and purple jester costume complete with bright red shoes with springs on the bottom.

"So? Do you have any guesses?"

The water salesman couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew he recognized this duck from someplace. He had mentioned something about games and that seemed to ring a bell with him. He snapped his fingers as he made the connection he was looking for. The deserted toy store he had been standing outside of a few days ago belonged to the Quackerjack toy company, a company that Negaduck had shut down for good a couple months earlier. He had chatted with the owner briefly about a year back before it had closed and this man standing before him was that very same man.

"Quackerjack? The same Quackerjack from the toy company?"

"Yep, it's me! I knew you'd recognize me, Buddy!" A wide grin had spread across his bill as spontaneously sprung forward and almost bowled over the unsuspecting water salesman as he gave him a big hug.

"You're looking sharp as always, Buddy." Quackerjack said cheerfully as he finally released Bud from his tight grip. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too." He responded sincerely. "I had always wondered what became of you after Negaduck shut down your company. To be honest, I had feared the worst."

"You needn't have worried. I'm not the kind of guy who ever wants to play quietly, if you catch my drift."

Bud nodded in understanding, knowing from hearsay how energetic the jester could be. His eyes drifted to the last man in the room who still had not removed his coat and hat. He seemed very hesitant to do so, if the way he hid his feet and kept making sure that his coat remained closed was any indication.

"So, what about you?" The water salesman addressed the cloaked figure. He decided it might be best if he made the first move. "Would you mind telling me a little more about yourself? Maybe you could even take off that heavy coat so I knew who I'm dealing with."

His suggestion was said in a light-hearted manner, hoping to coax the other man into relaxing a little bit. He was also beginning to suspect that this man might be the mutant plant creature he had read about in the papers and he was very interested in seeing this unusual being in person.

"Come on, Bushy." Megavolt pressed gently as he continued to hesitate, "we're all friends here. We're not going to mock you. Besides, we need his help."

The figure sighed heavily, but did as he was asked. Slowly, he removed his gloves, which revealed a pair of leafy green hands. The slim-figured man easily slid out of his large brown overcoat, which fell into a heap on the ground. Finally, the man removed his hat and revealed that his hair was not even hair at all, but purple petals with stamens protruding from the top of his head.

With the entire picture now in front of him, Bud Flood thought that this was one of the most impressive—albeit strangest—things he had ever seen. The man before him was still clearly a duck, but his skin had turned green and his webbed feet had become roots. He tried to keep himself from staring too much, but he had to admit inwardly that it was kind of a shock to see something like this.

"My name is Reginald Bushroot." The green duck stated uncomfortably as the canine continued to study him. "When my funding at the university was cut, I experimented on myself to prove the value of my work. I wanted to give people the ability to photosynthesize and with the help of one of my flowers, plus about a thousand volts of electricity, I got—well—this." He ended awkwardly by panning his leafy hands across his body. The blue eyes were fixed in resignation on the floor, waiting for their guest to show his revulsion at his appearance as so many others had when they laid eyes upon him.

"I think what you've accomplished is amazing." Bud told him without any guile in his voice. "As a company owner, I understand very well that it takes a lot of courage to stand by your goals even when your peers doubt your capabilities." Bud extended his hand towards the other man, who gave him a look of surprise. "Character studies show that not just anyone can do that and I have a lot of admiration for anyone who can. It's very nice to meet you."

Tentatively, the plant duck took the large furry hand lightly in his leafy one, almost as if he was expecting Bud to draw back at the touch. The canine had to admit that feeling the leaves grip his hand as they shook hands was an odd sensation, but it wasn't unpleasant. The water salesman noticed that a touch of light green had appeared on Bushroot's cheeks, which he guessed was what counted as blush for the mutant plant duck. He figured that the mutant scientist wasn't used to having people welcome him so openly after discovering what he was.

"That's nothing!" Quackerjack cut in as he flipped in the air with excitement. "If you're impressed by his attitude, then you should see his powers in action. Bushy has a telepathic link to plants. Go on, show him!"

"We really should be getting down to business." Bushroot hedged irritably. The suggestion made Quackerjack pout and it seemed he was going to protest this evasion when Bud cut in.

"I would appreciate it if you could showcase your abilities for me. Unless it's too much trouble to prepare a presentation on short notice, that is."

"N-No, it's no trouble at all." The green duck replied hastily. His earlier reluctance about showing off his abilities seemed to vanish once his guest showed some interest in them. Bushroot merely pointed at a potted tomato plant and for a moment nothing happened. Then, the tomato plant lifted its roots out of the pot and walked calmly over to its master, as if this were something it did every day.

"Her name's Ruby." He explained as he patted the plant affectionately. "She's been with me for over a year now and I've never known a plant that can grow a finer tomato."

As if to prove the point, Ruby waltzed over to Bud and placed one of the ripe tomatoes in his hands. He plucked it off lightly, staring in complete amazement and the sentient plant being.

"Thank you." Bud said when he finally found his voice again. He took a big bite out of the tomato and, just as promised, it was one of the juiciest tomatoes he'd ever had. "Your advertising isn't just hype. This is one of the best tomatoes in all of St. Canard. I would personally vouch for you, my dear Ruby."

The tomato plant folded its stalks inward, almost as if it had become a bit bashful at the compliment. It dipped forward in what Bud understood to be a bow, before it raced back over to its pot and settled in.

"Charmer." Bushroot sounding amused as he looked over at the canine. "You've certainly ensured you'll always get the best tomato whenever you come by."

"What can I say?" Bud replied completely unabashed. "I have a good eye for quality and I admire it in any potential business partners I see. I always put out the best product possible that I can and I expect anyone I deal with to do the same."

"Your reputation has preceded you, Mr. Flood." Megavolt's tone was serious and all eyes in the room turned to him. "You're known for your honest business practices and how you treat your partners, employees and customers with the utmost respect. That's why we pieced together that letter for you. We needed help with our next mission and we felt like you were the right guy to turn to."

"Before we start getting into the nitty-gritty of everything," Bud interrupted with a raise of his hand, "could you do one thing for me?"

"What is it?" Megavolt inquired curiously.

"Could you please call me Buddy? 'Mr. Flood' makes me sound so old. I know I'm not a puppy anymore, but I'd rather not be reminded of it more then I have to be." He wrinkled his nose a little bit as he thought about his current age. "Besides, Buddy's what my friends call me. You all want to be my friends, correct?"

"Absolutely." Megavolt replied warmly.

"The more playmates there are the merrier." Quackerjack quipped happily.

"I'm always happy to make a new friend, particularly in these times." Bushroot told him with a smile.

"Excellent! So, now that we agree on that issue one hundred and one percent, tell me why you brought me here."

"First, why don't we get comfortable?" Their host said as he cleared some appliances from the floor. "It's going to be a long discussion, so we should all sit down—er, anywhere there's room. Just push things out of your way as you need to."

It took a few minutes for the four of them to get enough floor space available for all of them to use. They settled in a circular formation with Bud facing Megavolt, Quackerjack on his left and Bushroot on his right. The conversation picked up right where it had left off as the leader of the trio cleared his throat to get their attention back on the matter at hand.

"We brought you here for the same reason you and your fellow business partners came together in secret a few days ago." Megavolt explained gravely. "Our group realized that Negaduck was making a move to collapse the bottled water industry. If he succeeds, all of St. Canard's water will be polluted and, more importantly, it will all be under his control. I'm assuming you're the only one who didn't comply with Negaduck's commands."

"You assume correctly." Bud replied dispiritedly. "Well—except for my client Morgana, but she can't really do anything about the situation at hand."

When her name popped up, he could see the three men sitting around him visibly stiffen. All of them looked uncomfortable and Bud was mystified as to why. It occurred to him that the figure he had seen that day in the alleyway must have been Quackerjack and that he left as soon as Morgana had appeared.

"Is something the matter?" He asked plainly.

"We'll tell you later." Megavolt assured him before going on. "Anyway, I'll get straight to the point. We've found a way to block Negaduck's efforts to take over St. Canard's bottled water industry. Not only that, but we'll be able to undo the damage he's already caused."

"Is that possible?" Bud questioned excitedly.

"As possible as it is to become a half-plant half-duck mutant." Bushroot answered wryly. "Our team managed to get a sample of the contaminated water yesterday after Negaduck was done doing his dirty work. Ever since then, I've been working on a way to purify the water by constructing a plant that can identify the contaminants. Once it recognizes them, it will use its vines to absorb them and leave the water just as clean as it was to begin with."

"Marketing teams everywhere would agree that this new product is absolutely brilliant! But, wait, is there anything more that you can tell us about these experimental plants? For instance, what would the lifetime expectancy be for these genetically altered flora?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about the life span of these plants with or without Negaduck's chainsaw." There was a confident smile on the botanist's beak as he continued speaking. "They're designed to be indoor plants that thrive in water. Once they're put into place they'll grow rapidly so that the vines will spread out inside the vat, eventually growing to cling to the outside of the container. Even if our least favorite duck does try to hack away at them, their regeneration rate is very high, so he won't make much progress. Not to mention that since they've been in contact with me, they'll have some sentient capabilities." Bushroot's smile became a smirk, enjoying a private image of Negaduck being strung up by his flora. "They'll be able to tangle up anyone who tries to mess with them. I almost wish I could be there to see his face when they come to life and fight off him and his goons."

"A film of such an event would be a must-see for all of St. Canard." Bud said with a smirk of his own. "Although this consumer has one more question. Won't this wonder plant you're building need some kind of dirt to root down in? I do not claim to be a floral expert, but I have always assumed that part was necessary."

"You would be right, but I have come up with a solution to that. My plants will start off in a small jar with a special fertilizer at the bottom. I'm making the fertilizer so that when it hit the water it will release a rapid growth hormone that will effect the entire plant and make it grow much faster then it normally would. The jar just needs to be put into the contaminated water vat and the plant should take care of the rest." Bushroot's eyes were on the water salesman when he finished, wondering if he was going to have to field another question. Bud gave his best salesman smile to the mutant scientist and spread his hands in a gesture that said he had given up his doubts

"You've certainly sold me on the product, but I feel like there's one piece of the entire contract still missing." Bud remarked as he glanced between the three of them. "For instance, if Reggie can move the plants telepathically, then I don't understand why you would need me to do anything. With all your powers and inventiveness combined, I would imagine that it would be easy for you to infiltrate the water companies and remove all the toxins yourselves."

"One would think that, but the rules aren't quite as simple as they seem for this particular game." Quackerjack answered him as he pulled down the ends of his hat in frustration. "You see, up until now we've been playing a pretty simple strategy game of making small footholds in what Negaduck considers his conquered territory. Since we've come together, we've been able to make a stronghold of our own at the St. Canard Power Plant. Our victories for our team have gotten under Negaduck's skin and this time he's brought in more troops to protect his most recent territorial acquirement. These new forces have changed the rules of the game by making it harder for us to play at all. As we all know, less playtime for us means more pieces of St. Canard fall into his hands."

"In fact, we did try to stop him ourselves two days ago," Bushroot explained unhappily, "but like Quackerjack said he was prepared for us this time. Negaduck had reinforcements sent in from SHUSH to surround the building and arrest anyone who came within fifty feet of the vicinity. The three of us did find a hole in their defenses so we could slip in, but obviously we weren't able to stay long enough to fix any of the damage that was done." The plant mutant heaved a deep sigh before continuing. "Actually, we're lucky to still be here talking to you right now. We were almost captured by their agents and I don't think I have to tell you what happens to people who go to SHUSH headquarters."

"No, no explanations are necessary." Bud gave a vehement shake of his head as he said this. "This customer has read all the human resource information on SHUSH and understands that it is not the happiest place on earth for anyone unless they are completely bought and sold by Negaduck."

"Exactly right, which brings us back to the heart of the matter." Megavolt added in a grim voice. "We can't get into the bottled water factories long enough to implement our plan with so many guards outside the buildings. The best we can do is draw them away so that someone else could use Bushroot's plants to clean the vats. The three of us have decided that the person who should do that is you."

"May I ask what your qualifications were for this job?" The water salesman asked this question more out of curiosity then anything else.

"Oh, that's easy!" The toymaker responded quickly as he fidgeted on the floor. He wasn't enjoying having to sit on the floor this long. "In order to find the perfect playmate for the latest match against our least favorite criminal we just needed someone who disliked Negaduck as much as we did and had knowledge of the inner workings of the other water factories. Since you fit into both categories, you were the undisputed winner with our team."

"I'm honored." Bud said with a touch of amusement.

"I hate to say it, but I'm not so sure you should be." Bushroot's voice sounded both anxious and hesitant as he rambled on. "I mean, it's not that I don't want you to help, I do, but it's just that what we're asking you to do is incredibly dangerous. Like I said, the three of us were almost caught by Negaduck's forces and I don't want to think about what they would have done to us if they **had** captured us. If they catch you helping us, then the best you can hope for is that they kill you quickly."

"Bushy!" Megavolt tried to chide him, but the plant mutant carried on anyway.

"You seem like such a nice person that I'd hate to have that happen to you. There are too few brave people in our city as it is. I don't want to lose one on our account is all."

"Your concern is touching." The corporate head told him sincerely. "However, I can assure you that I understand that risks involved with this partnership. More importantly, I want to keep the bottled water industry out of Negaduck's hands." He panned the three of them before he asked his next question. "What do you want me to do?"

Quackerjack looked very pleased as he glanced over at Megavolt to explain the details of their plan. Bushroot's expression showed his uneasiness as their new friend's agreement, but there was a touch of admiration it it as well. Megavolt met the dog's black eyes with his mismatched ones and started giving him the instructions.

"Two days from now, we're going to meet by the abandoned tuna-canning warehouse near the Clearwater Bottling factory around nine o' clock. Negaduck's already contaminated that company, so there are fewer SHUSH agents guarding it. While Bushroot and Quackerjack draw the guards away outside the building, I'm going to shut down the power on the inside to take out security. Once that's finished, your job is to enter the front of the building and put the purifying plants into the water vats to clean them out. Our jester friend here will lend you some of the toys from his arsenal, which should easily take care of any enemy combatants left inside. As soon as you've dropped the plants off in all the water vats, you're to get yourself out of there. Don't stay in the area any longer then you have to. Did all of that make sense?"

"You're public speaking skills were more than efficient in making the main points of the plan understandable."

"One last thing," Megavolt interjected before Bud could say anything else. "I don't think I have to tell you why this entire matter should be kept a secret. For your own safety its best that no one finds out about what we're doing. Is that clear?"

"I'd like to discuss this bit of fine print with you. For instance, what if the person I tell is someone I really trust? Like—"

"Morgana?" Quackerjack interrupted solemnly. As soon as the name escaped his beak, his entire demeanor changed. All the silliness that was normally present in every fiber of his being vanished and was replaced with a duck that was firm and unyielding. "Buddy, I want you to listen to us. You need to distance yourself from Morgana Mawcaber. She's playing a game of duplicity with you."

"What are you getting at?" Bud demanded of the jester who answered him in an unwavering voice that held no fabrication.

"I'm trying to say that the three of us think that she's working for Negaduck. She's acting as a double agent in the field so that she can keep an eye on his enemies, one of the most influential of them being yourself."

"Have you accumulated any data that proves this allegation?" The corporate head gave a hard look to all three of them in the silence that followed his inquiry. His demeanor betrayed no misgivings as he waited for his answer.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any evidence we can present to you on the matter." Bushroot admitted with a sigh. "However, there have been a lot of rumors going around that Negaduck has acquired the assistance of a witch from the Transylvania area. Who else do you know in St. Canard that fits the description other then Morgana?"

"Also, there have been quite a few odd reports coming from his latest crime sprees." Megavolt added in the hopes of strengthening their case. "From what I understand, Negaduck's latest victims have experienced inanimate objects coming to life and attacking them, while still others have died from spontaneous combustion and other strange conditions that have no roots in the normal world. There's only one woman I know who could create such a powerful diseases in the blink of an eye and I don't think I have to tell you who that is."

Bud Flood sat silently for a tense moment as he took in what he had been told. Finally, he opened his mouth again to give them his calm response. "Thank you all for taking the time to explain your points to me. However, due to lack of substantial evidence, I am disinclined to believe you." He watched as all three faces fell at his statement and he determined he had to put more weight behind his argument. "Look, you know how much false advertising is going on in our media and the stories one hears nowadays are nothing but smear campaigns against perfectly good people. Just listen to the things that the press says about the three of you. All of it is just a bunch of propaganda that Negaduck is throwing onto the air so that he can further his agenda.

"As for the strange things going on with his victims, well, I suppose they could be magic related," Bud admitted with a shrug, "but that doesn't automatically mean it was her. I'll admit that I've never met another witch or wizard, but I'm one hundred percent willing to take a bet that there's more then one person in the world who can use magic. Can any of you really tell me that there isn't a possibility that he's managed to recruit someone else who has magic powers to his cause?"

The water salesman waited for an answer that he knew would not be forthcoming. The other three people in the room glanced between each other as if hoping that one or the other of them would come up with a good rebuttal. The gaze that Bud bestowed upon them was firm and his voice held a tone of avid belief as he gave them his final thoughts on the matter.

"From my experiences with her, Morgana Mawcaber has always been a trustworthy business partner and, more importantly, she has been a good friend and ally to me in the past year. I am willing to give her my highest endorsement without the slightest bit of hesitation."

Megavolt, Bushroot and Quackerjack said nothing to him when he was finished speaking, but all of them shared the same pitiful expression.

"I hope your faith in her is rewarded, Buddy." Bushroot spoke softly with his blue eyes averted and unfocused, as if he were watching some unpleasant memory. "I really do..."

"I think that's enough on this subject for now." The electric rat put in before anyone else could continue the discussion. "More importantly, I want to know once and for all, are you willing to help us in our fight against Negaduck?"

"Do not worry. Any business man worth his merit is able to handle an unpleasant discussion without letting it affect his better judgment. My business intuition is telling me that helping the three of you out will not only be the best deal for my company, but also the best option for the community." Bud stood up and extended his hand towards the electric rodent. "I'm looking forward to working with you all for as long as it's necessary."

Megavolt got up, took the outstretched hand in a firm grip and shook it. "Believe me, there are no words to express just how grateful we are to you for helping us. I don't think we can ever repay you."

"If you guys manage to stop our local crime lord from taking away another resource from the citizens of St. Canard that will be thanks enough." The water salesman replied with a warm smile.

"Well, now that everything's settled, would you like to stay for dinner?" Bushroot offered amicably. "Not to brag, but I'm a pretty good cook."

"Yes! That's a great idea!" Quackerjack grabbed Bud's arm and tugged on it, giving him big puppy dog eyes as he pleaded with him. "Come on, Buddy, you gotta stay a while. It'll be fun having a new playmate around the dinner table for a change. Please? _Pretty Please?_"

"Okay, okay," Bud said as he pushed the toymaker off of him with a laugh, "you've presented your case successfully. It will be my pleasure to dine with you all tonight."

"Yay!" Quackerjack exclaimed as he gave the canine another big hug.

"Hey, now, cut that out!" Megavolt tried to pull Quackerjack off of Bud. "If you keep doing stuff like that you'll scare him off."

Quackerjack released the canine and cocked his head to the side with a sly grin as he looked back at his electric friend. "What's the matter Megs? Jealous?"

"You wish." Megavolt said with an eye roll.

The remainder of the evening found the four of them talking, laughing and generally enjoying each others company. As Bud Flood left to walk back to his apartment, he couldn't help but think that this had been one of the most enjoyable evenings he'd experienced in a long time.

* * *

The next week found Bud Flood in an incredibly good mood; a complete turn around from how he'd been feeling when he first found out about the water pollution. He had come to work whistling happily for the past few days and there was a spring to his step that hadn't been there in months. His cheeriness seemed to be contagious and the Sparkling Clear Crystal Flood Water Company, which had been a rather somber place as of late, was filled with friendly chatter and laughter from its employees. Of course, none of the workers knew the reason for their boss's recent good mood, but they figured that the happier he was the more likely it was for the company to continue to do well.

As the corporate head reached his office and unlocked the door, he found himself reminiscing about the events of the past week. The first mission to decontaminate the water vats at the Clearwater Factory had been a complete success. The plants Bushroot had asked him to place inside the water had managed to clean out the toxins completely, leaving clean water for the residents of St. Canard and less power in the hands of the notorious crime lord. The experiment had been repeated at two other water companies in St. Canard and both had come back with positive results. The media had tried to cover the whole event up by continuing their line about someone befouling the bottled water supply. That only made Bud happier since anyone who could read between the lines could tell that they were trying very hard to cover up the real truth behind the story.

_I would pay money to see the look on Negaduck's face when he saw the latest set of vats covered in plants. _Bud thought with a smug grin on his muzzle. _He's probably so angry that he's tried using that chainsaw of his on some of his goons. _

The bottled water salesman had just finished making himself a cup of coffee when his desk phone started ringing. Putting the coffee cup down on his desk, he pressed the speaker button on his phone and introduced himself in an upbeat manner.

"This is Bud Flood. May I ask who's calling?"

"It's Lana, sir. There's a call for you on line one. It's your client Morgana Mawcaber."

He paused as he thought over why she would be calling him today. It wasn't unusual for her to call him at work occasionally, considering that she was very good with using normal technology despite having grown up entirely without it. However, he couldn't think of any business related reason for why she'd be contacting him. It was then that he realized they hadn't spoken to each other in a while and it could just be a personal call.

"Would you like me to patch her through or should I tell her to call back later?" Lana inquired politely.

"Yes, you can put her through. Thank you Lana."

"Anytime sir." She replied quickly before transferring the call.

Bud waited for a moment to make sure his secretary was off the line before he began speaking into the microphone.

"Morgana? Are you there?"

"Well, hello there, stranger." Morgana's smooth voice held a subtle prong in its otherwise delicate tone. "It's nice to hear your voice again. It's been so long that I'd almost forgotten what it sounded like."

"My apologies dear lady." Bud replied in an remorseful, yet equally smooth voice. "I'm afraid that pressing matters have kept me busy as of late."

"Be that as it may, I do hope your promise to keep in touch wasn't just false advertising. Keeping a lady waiting is impolite, you see. It makes her think you don't miss her when she's gone."

"Perish the thought." The water salesman said with vehemence. "Studies show that there is a shortage of pretty ladies in St. Canard. Thus, it would truly be a pity to be without one of the true gems of our fair city."

The overt flattery earned him a satisfied chuckle from the recipient. Bud felt a bit of relief as the tense note in the conversation eased up. That feeling immediately vanished when the witch asked her next question.

"Do you mind me asking what it is that's kept you so busy?" The sorceress inquired mildly.

"Well, you know how it is with running a company and all..." The canine hedged uncomfortably. He spoke in the most confident voice he could muster. Unfortunately, his magical client missed very little and picked up on the weak way he'd given his normally strong delivery.

"I know you're a very busy dog, Buddy, but on the other hand, I also know that you've never been so caught up in your work that you haven't even come home until the early hours of the morning."

"How did you—?"

"I dropped by your apartment twice this week to try and see you." She explained lightly. "I figured you might enjoy some company after that debacle of a meeting with the other corporate heads. Anyway, when you weren't there the second time, I asked your landlady about your whereabouts. She was the one who told me that you barely spent five minutes in your apartment after work before you were off again and that you didn't return until very early in the morning."

An awkward pause followed this revelation as Bud slapped a hand over his face. His landlady was a notorious gossip who couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it. He internally berated himself for not expecting this to happen. He could only hope that she hadn't told anyone else about his recent activities.

"You haven't gotten yourself into trouble, have you?" Morgana's voice now had a bit of fire in it.

"That depends on what your definition of 'trouble' is, my dear." He said with a little smart-alack grin that she couldn't see.

"How cute. You remind me of a little kid whose been caught with his hand in the cookie jar." Her remark was given with playful irritation. "I hope I won't have to demean myself by playing the role of the parent that has to pull the truth from their child."

"Inquiring minds want to know what you're getting at?"

"It's simple really. I just want to know what you've been up to recently."

Bud opened his mouth to answer, but faltered as some of the allegations Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot had given him came to mind. They had warned him not to tell anyone about what they had been doing for his own safety and they'd been particularly adamant about her.

"You **are** going to tell me, aren't you dear heart?"

The hurt sound in her voice decided it for him. Morgana had always stood by him for as long as he had known her. When his three new allies had accused her of treachery, he had defended her based on his experiences with her. He wasn't going to turn his back on her now.

"I will do better then just telling you." Bud spoke with his normal flamboyance. "Today and today only, I have a special offer for the lady of the house. I will show you what I have been up to. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like an offer I can't refuse." The witch said with amusement.

"Excellent! To fulfill my generous offer, you merely have to meet me inside the Koo Koo Fizzy Water Factory at ten o' clock tonight."

"I won't keep you waiting." She assured him and, even though he couldn't see it, he was sure she was smiling. "In fact, since you're being so sweet to me, I might just do something special for you."

"Now there's an intriguing bonus. Can I perhaps barter for more information on what it could be?"

"And ruin the surprise? That wouldn't be a very sound strategy, would it? Besides it will make you look forward to seeing me."

"I always do, with or without a bonus," Bud told her with feeling, "and as much as I enjoy talking to you, I really do need to get back to work. I'll see you tonight."

"You most certainly will. Goodbye for now, Buddy."

The phone line connection clicked as she hung up and the canine turned the speaker off. He quickly put the conversation from his mind and no misgivings plagued him throughout the rest of his day at work. Even later that evening when he was back in his apartment, he didn't have any regrets about what he'd done. When it came time to leave, he was whistling happily down the street as he carelessly walked towards his destination.

* * *

The strategy was a little bit different than it had been the last three times Bud had worked with Megavolt and the others. The final contaminated factory was the Koo Koo Fizzy Water Company, which had double the guards that the other buildings had thanks to their successful efforts to clean the water. They had all figured that the only way to get inside was for Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot to appear at the now clean water companies and create diversions large enough to draw off the guards from the Koo Koo Fizzy Water Company. Bushroot had given him a bag of jars with the plants in them so that he could decontaminate the water once he got inside.

The well-dressed canine cautiously approached the building and was happy to see that there were no guards around it at all. He figured the other three must have been successful in creating big distractions. Smiling to himself, he made his way inside.

Sneaking quietly through the building, he quietly went to where the vats were and climbed the stairs to reach the metal bridge that ran between them. Once he'd reached the top, he dropped the bag and began taking out the jars of plants. Bud unscrewed the lids and threw the plants into the contaminated water vats. The containers sunk to the bottom of the water and then, the plants began to do their work. The water color started changing from a murky brown to a light blue.

Bud leaned over the once contaminated water vat and admired his handiwork. He was pleased to see how quickly the water cleared up and even more pleased to think that he had succeeded in thwarting Negaduck—at least for the time being. Bud wasn't foolish to think that the crime lord would give up his efforts to control the city's water supply, but he also figured that his plans would be at a standstill until he could find a way to counteract the plants.

Grinning from ear to ear, he was startled when he heard a familiar voice speaking to him out of thin air.

"You certainly look pleased with yourself." Morgana Mawcaber told him with a half-smile as she appeared out of thin air.

"You know, you really need to stop doing that appearing/disappearing trick." Bud replied with a hand over his heart. "Eight out of ten doctors suggest frequent scares like these are bad for your health."

"My apologies," she said in a wry tone, "though I never have put much faith in normal doctors. They seem to specialize in making people unnaturally paranoid."

He conceded her point with a laugh before gently taking her hand. "If you're done mocking my hypochondria, there's something that's guaranteed to amaze you once you take a glance over this railing."

With a big grin on his face and without waiting for her to reply, he pulled her towards the purifying water vat.

"Marvel at the wonderful hybrid plant life that can identify the pollutants in the water and absorb them, leaving the water as pure as it was before Negaduck's interference. Made by none other then Reginald Bushroot, a plant scientist who belongs to a trio of rebels dedicated to stopping our local crime lord for getting complete control over the city's resources."

"Reginald Bushroot? So you **have** been working with them." Her face was impassive and her tone gave away none of her feelings one way or the other.

"Is that a problem?" Bud asked curiously. He had expected her to be more excited and her lack of emotion about the matter had him a tad worried.

"No," she said with a sigh, "I only wish you hadn't kept it from me. I thought you trusted me."

That last statement stung like she intended it to. His long dog ears drooped and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I do trust you Morgana." Bud said in a heartfelt tone. "I always have. I was just worried about your safety was all. There was a lot of risk involved in this venture and I didn't want you to have to take the fall if it came to that."

"Like I've said, I'm not one to back away from taking risks." Morgana replied matter-of-factly. She placed a finger on his lips before he could speak again. "But it's okay. I know you, Buddy. You're a real gentlemen and you always put other people's welfare before your own."

Before Bud could say anything more on the subject she got closer to him and leaned against his shoulder. She placed a hand over his chest as she stared down at the vat covered in floral life.

"It truly is an amazing creation. I doubt even my magic could have done a better job."

"Oh, I don't know about that." The water salesman told her as he confidently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close. "You're an amazing woman. I'm sure you would have come up with the perfect spell to counteract Negaduck's pollutants."

"Well, thank you dear heart." She said with a flirtatious glint in her green eyes. Bud noticed that she was wearing some kind of white colored lipstick and he tried to remember if she had ever done so before. "You're too sweet."

Before anything else could be said, she leaned up and planted a fierce kiss on his lips. Bud Flood's eyes went wide for a split second before he closed them and kissed her back passionately. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and held her body against his.

The kiss broke and as he was about to start another a wave of vertigo hit him. He suddenly felt tired as the world continued to spin. His legs seemed to give out from under him as he struggled for consciousness. As he collapsed, he was caught by Morgana who held him tightly in her arms. His head rested against her right shoulder and as he looked pleadingly up into her green eyes as his dark eyes refused to stay open.

"Mor..Morga...na..." He whispered as his eyes shut against his will.

The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was a sinister whisper into one of his long ears:

"Sweet dreams, Buddy."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so this is a nice cliffhanger, right? ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you're looking forward to the next one. As always, Darkwing and others belong to the Disney company. The OC Lana belongs to me. Thanks for reading!


	3. Trust and Torment

**Trust and Torment**

**

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter is rated M for graphic violence. The worst of it takes place in the first part of this chapter. If you don't want to read it, scroll down until you hit the first divider in the story and you'll be in the clear.

* * *

Waking up was an odd sensation for Bud Flood. He was still a little hazy and his eyelids felt heavy as he regained consciousness. Taking a brief glance at his unfamiliar surroundings, he knew he was in trouble. He found himself in was a dark room with black floors, walls and ceilings. There were no windows and the only light source was a dim, flickering fluorescent light bulb that was incessantly humming. It was then that he realized that he had been tied to a wooden cross with ropes and barbed wire. The sharp spikes had been skillfully woven around his wrists and ankles so that he was hanging just slightly off the ground. He squirmed a little bit to see if the wires had any give, but it was no use. As soon as he tried to pull away from the cross, the spikes dug painful cuts into his skin. Not giving up yet, he examined the room again, looking for any feasible way that he could get out of his bonds when a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Are you awake, Buddy?"

The dog jerked his head forward to see Morgana Mawcaber standing before him as serene as she always was. A sense of relief washed over him to see a friendly face in the awful room he had been placed into.

"Morgana, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. You've got to help me! Please cut these bonds for me so we can get out of here—wherever here is."

The witch gave the captive water salesman an odd look before she calmly walked over to the barbed wire tying down his wrist on his right side. He gazed at her expectantly as she grasped the wire in her delicate fingers. She abruptly met his dark black eyes with her green ones with an unreadable expression on her face.

"You know Buddy," she said slowly, her eyes boring into his, "there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time..."

"What?" He questioned politely, knowing in the back of his mind that this wasn't really the time for talk of any kind whether it was important or not. Without warning, a sharp stabbing pain shot up his right arm. Morgana had pushed the barbed wire into his right wrist and was holding it in place as he struggled.

"I've wanted to tell you for a long time," she repeated slowly, pushing the wire in a little harder, "that you're an absolute fool."

Bud let out a small hiss of pain as he gazed down into her green orbs, not believing what he was hearing. Then, he remembered the kiss they'd shared back at his competitor's water company. How he'd fainted shortly thereafter.

"You..." Bud's voice was a mixture of shock and betrayal. "You brought me here? But-But why...why would you...?"

"Oh, don't look so surprised." She scoffed with an eye roll. "You really weren't stupid enough to believe that I was around you because I actually liked you, did you? Then again, judging by those big puppy dog eyes and that dazed expression you're gracing me with, maybe you were. Let me make this very simple. You've been considered a potential problem for a long time. Someone sent me to watch over you and inform them if it was the right time to get rid of you. The only reason you've survived this long is because you are an influential business man and it was hoped that eventually you'd see things differently. Obviously that didn't happen."

"Someone...?" Buddy asked with his heart sinking. He had a very good idea of who this someone was. His worst fears were confirmed when the double doors to the room opened and in strode a familiar evil face.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Prince Charming is finally awake." The deep sneering voice of Negaduck filled the small room as he approached the captive canine. He looked just like he had in the photos in the newspaper with his yellow suit, black cape and red fedora hat. Bud was a little surprised that the self-proclaimed overlord of the Negaverse was such a short statured duck. As he got closer, the water salesman was able to study his enemy's face and it was then that he understood what was so intimidating about this duck. His beady black eyes were ice cold and his face was set in a permanent scowl, as if the only things he'd ever felt in his life were anger and hatred.

"Did you enjoy the kiss from your princess?" A cruel grin spread across his beak as he glanced over at Morgana. A similar grin spread over her face as if they were sharing some kind of inside joke. "Oh yes. Morgana has told me all about how you flirt with her. How you kept making eyes at her and telling her she was beautiful just because she said the things you wanted to hear. How you shared your desire to settle down with a good woman and start a family." The last sentence was spoken while he clasped his hands by his face and made his eyes as round as they could go while batting his eyelids. Dropping the act, he pointed at the dog and broke into fits of laughter. "You're a complete sap, Flood! Morgana is loyal only to me. She's been playing you almost the entire time."

"Almost?" Bud questioned in a small heartsick whisper.

"Yeah, there was a time when she did believe some of the inane things that you do." He waved his hand as if to brush the whole matter away. "Fortunately, she began seeing things my way and she's never turned back."

Dreading what he'd see and wanting it all to be a nightmare or a bad dream, Bud finally turned his gaze to Morgana Mawcaber. He had put his full trust in her, defended her when others had accused her of working for the crime lord and had even hoped that one day they might be more then just friends. He didn't want to believe what was taking place was real.

"Morgana," he pleaded softly, "is that the truth? Did you really say all those things just because you thought it was what I wanted to hear? You didn't stand beside me because you actually cared about me, but...but because you wanted to find the right time to kill me?"

Her deep green eyes met his smaller black ones and for the first time since he met her, he could see the spark of malice in them that he had missed before.

"Yes, it's the truth." Her reply was short, firm and completely unashamed.

Bud stared at her a moment longer for it all to sink in before he looked away and hung his head. A deep sadness filled his heart and he berated himself for being so gullible.

"Aw, now I know you feel bad about being duped," Negaduck said to him in the most unsympathetic tone possible, "but you shouldn't worry about that. I'm sure all the pain I'm about to cause you will make you forget all about your silly little crush."

Abruptly, the yellow-suited mallard grabbed hold of his suit coat and unbuttoned it. He pushed the coat back onto the canine's arms as much as possible so that his dress shirt was fully accessible. Not bothering with the tedious process of disconnecting each button, the crime lord grabbed both sides of the shirt and ripped it open. Buttons clattered down to the floor as he pulled the shirt away to reveal the toned, furry chest and stomach of Bud Flood. Lastly, he threw the blue tie that was still around the dog's neck over his left shoulder before he pulled a long, jagged knife out of his cape.

"Ah, I just love working with a clean slate." As he said this, Negaduck ran the tip of the knife slowly down the dog's body from his chest to his stomach. Bud tried to not to show any of the dread he was experiencing as the blade traveled down his exposed flesh. When the tip of the weapon had reached his belt buckle, the Negaduck brought the knife up to his victim's face. He placed the edge of it on the tip of his prisoner's nose and graced him with a threatening smile.

"Okay, Flood, since I know how fond you are of making deals I'll offer you one right now. Swear that you'll hand over your company and all it's assets to me. Once you do, you'll make a public statement that I am the uncontested ruler of the Negaverse and that you give your full, undying loyalty to me. If you do all of those things then I will make it so that this will hurt a lot less."

Bud snorted as he looked Negaduck straight in his beady, hate-filled eyes. "Is that the best you can do? Ten out ten potential buyers surveyed state that they've gotten better offers at garage sales."

Negaduck merely pressed the blade a little harder into the dog's nose so that it bordered on uncomfortable, but did not break the skin. "Last chance." His tone told the water salesman that he wasn't messing around.

"Even if I did everything that you asked, you would still make my torture as painful as possible . You enjoy other people's pain and you're a sick, twisted bastard who's ruining our fair city for his own gains."He swallowed and tried to make his voice as firm as possible even though he knew he was making things worse for himself. Still, he couldn't turn his back on what was right. "You can try to bribe me all you want, but I'll never support you! That's my final term."

"Spirited, aren't you?" Negaduck chuckled a bit as his face transformed into an ugly glower. "I hate that!"

The evil mallard took the knife away from Bud's nose and made a swift, shallow cut from the canine's chest to the middle of his stomach. A yelp of pain escaped his lips as he felt dribbles of blood run down his stomach from the open wound. He pulled against his bonds at the blow, but that only brought him more pain as the barbed wire cut into his ankles and wrists.

"I'll show you what happens to people who defy me." He made another long cut on Bud's body, this time going up from his stomach to his chest. "Soon you'll understand that everything," he paused to make a horizontal cut across the dog's chest, "belongs to me! The plant life, the water supply, the electricity, the entertainment industry," with each item he listed off, Negaduck cut more wounds into Bud's chest and stomach, "the entire city of St. Canard is mine!" At this last pronouncement, Negaduck took he placed the knife by the canine's right rib cage and made a long, jagged cut that was deeper than the others.

Through the pain of it all, despite every wound that the crime lord dug into his skin, he hardly made a sound. A few soft cries escaped from his tortured body, but he clenched his fists, bit his lip and breathed through the pain. His eyes were still fixed on Negaduck and they still burned with defiance.

When the evil mallard met his prisoner's eyes again and saw that he still wasn't broken, he placed the blade against his left shoulder.

"Do you still think it's worth it? Fighting your little battles against me so that the people of St. Canard can be free?" Suddenly, Negaduck drew the blade up Bud's shoulder. The canine could not stifle a cry of anguish this time and the yellow-suited mallard smiled at his suffering.

"I'll let you in on a little secret Flood. People like you, people who actually stand for something and believe in the side of good, are a complete anomaly in this city. Most of the citizenry like me and appreciate what I've done to St. Canard. It would be a pity if the public didn't get what they wanted, don't you think?"

As he finished his sentence, Negaduck proceeded to slash Bud's right shoulder the way he'd slashed his left. Bud gave another cry of pain and sagged down on the cross breathing heavily. Seeing that he was making some progress with his prisoner, Negaduck took out a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned some of the blood from his blade. Once it was pristine, he looked back up at Bud Flood who was still hanging his head. His forehead was creased with lines and his mouth was set in a grimace from his aching body.

"Gee, you look a little down in the mouth Flood." Negaduck turned to the witch with an evil glint in his eye. "I'm sure some more of Morgana's affection will cheer you right up."

He cackled maliciously as he strode out the big double doors, leaving the two alone. Morgana, who had been watching the whole event from the side of the room, smiled far too sweetly as she approached the captive canine. He stiffened as her fingers ran smoothly over his chest, finally settling over one of his long cuts.

"Well, I guess it's just the two of us now, isn't it?." Morgana's voice was silky and she batted her eyes in mock flirtation.

An intense heat suddenly built up in their tips as she pressed them against his chest. He clenched his jaw to keep from crying out in pain, not wanting to give her any satisfaction.

"What's the matter, Buddy?." She leaned up and pressed her lips against his neck. "Don't you enjoy my attention, dear heart?."

Her fingers were still running painfully along his chest and the kiss she planted on his neck filled him with revulsion. She knew how he had felt about her and still she would do this to him. For the sake of a man he loathed beyond all comprehension.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" The witch tried to kiss his lips, but he turned his head away from her. The move didn't phase her and she brushed her lips against his cheek instead.

"No..." His soft whisper was filled with a quiet rage that was building with every word she spoke and every move she made.

"No?" Morgana repeated innocently as she pressed her body against his and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You didn't want us to be together?"

"Not here." He hissed down at her. "And certainly not like this!"

"Now, I know this isn't exactly luxurious, but things don't have to be perfect Buddy. What was that old saying? 'You can't always get what you want.'"

"I think the one you're looking for is: 'Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.'

"Oh, Buddy, you always were a fighter." She laughed in spite of the seething anger that had been clear in his voice. She placed both her hands on the side of his muzzle and held him still. "You constantly made things harder on yourself for the sake of your ideals. For the sake of people who didn't care enough about what was happening to them to defend themselves. For the sake of people who used you to further their cause while they did nothing but watch you toil from the sidelines. For the sake of giving the people of St. Canard some kind of false hope that things could be different somehow. It was one of the things I absolutely couldn't stand about you."

Morgana leaned up closer to him so that she almost beak to nose with captive canine. He glared defiantly at her as she continued to taunt him, still holding his head still with her hands.

"So was it worth it? All this struggling and fighting that you've been doing for to protect some skewed idea of justice? How does it feel knowing you're going to die all alone in this room and no one is going to care?"

Bud kept his face as impassive as he could, but he couldn't help but admit that there was a sliver of truth in her words. As if reading his thoughts, the witch smiled wickedly before forcefully pressing her lips against his. He didn't respond to her cruel gesture, merely waiting for it to be over. When the kiss broke, he jerked his head away from her and spat in disgust to get the taste out of his mouth. Morgana chuckled at the move and brushed her hot finger tips along his bare chest one last time before she left the room, slamming the doors shut behind her.

Once she was gone, Bud Flood just hung listlessly from his cross prison. The humming of the fluorescent light bulb overhead was the only thing that was keeping him company as dark thoughts consumed him from within. He stared blankly at the dark floor that stretched out beneath him as blood continued to dribble down from some of his open wounds.

_Is this how it's all going to end for me then? _The water salesman thought to himself morbidly. _Am I going to die in this god forsaken place at the hands of Negaduck like so many others before me did, who tried to stop him and couldn't? Die nameless and alone..._

The chain of thoughts brought him to recall his life up to this point. Since the time he was in high school he had known what he had wanted. He had dreamed of running his own successful business in beautiful burg of St. Canard. Once the canine had achieved a steady income he had wanted to find a good woman to settle down with and start a family. He loved kids and he had always imagined himself raising a son in cozy house somewhere in the city. All he had ever wanted was to live a normal life running his company, spending time with good friends and then coming back home to a loving wife and adorable children. Sadly, the only thing he managed to accomplish was starting his own business and even that had been taken away by Negaduck in the end.

_I lived in St. Canard before the days of his maniacal rule over the city. I knew how much better things used to be before he took over the lives of the citizens with his reign of terror. Once he started his campaign for the city, everything changed. Happiness, trust and honesty turned into depression, fear and betrayal. Good people gave up on living, dreaming or hoping and just accepted what was happening to them. They accepted that this was how their lives were going to be..._

Bud Flood hung limply on his cross and squeezed his eyes shut. He shook his head feeling the warmth in his chest that had always stayed with him. It was the warmth that came from doing the right thing...from a sense of justice that was ingrained in him.

_But I couldn't accept it! I just couldn't! I wouldn't give up hope just because of what one twisted duck tried to do. I couldn't just swallow what was happening around me and do nothing. And for that, I was shunned._

The more the canine thought about it, the more he knew it was true. His face and voice had always been recognizable due to his advertisements on the television, in the papers and on the radio. He was a dog with a lot of money and that alone had always drawn people to him. Unfortunately, once he told them what he thought about Negaduck and what he was doing to St. Canard everyone immediately shied away from him. The women who flirted with him had turned their heels upon him when he voiced his opinion either because they were fond of Negaduck's ways or because they wanted nothing to do with a man that, as they saw it, had a target on his back and wouldn't be long for the world. Bud was rueful when he found that there were more of the former type of women then the latter. It had been one of the big reasons he'd had trouble getting married. Not that he had done any better on the friendship line either for the same reasons.

Yet no matter how many times people rebuffed him, he still held on to what he thought was right. He had firmly believed that the majority of people out there agreed with him and wanted things to be go back to the way they were before. He thought when he spoke up and acted against the crime lord he was giving a voice to the people who had no voice themselves...but now...

_Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe this __**was**__ the way the people of St. Canard wanted to live. Not that it matters. It's not just that I don't want to live the way Negaduck wants me to. I simply __**can't **__live that way._

Tears started welling up in his eyes as he thought about the irony of it all. Here he was, hanging on a cross like the martyr he'd always been, about to die for people who he hoped would look at his example and want to stand up for themselves. People who, in the end, didn't give a damn whether he died or not. People who didn't care whether they really lived or not.

_Then what did I do this for? What was any of it for? _

He shouted those two questions in his mind, letting them reverberate in his skull. The first two tears left streaks in the fur on his cheeks as they dripped onto the floor mixing in with his blood. The canine tried to remember the last time he had cried and found that he couldn't. He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling searching for an answer.

_To be honest, I've never wanted to fight against evil or be a hero. I just tried to be a good person. Having the opportunity to use the gifts I was given was enough to make me happy. Nothing more. Nothing less. So then...why was I given life during a period of time when I'd have no real chance to live it? I don't understand...I just don't understand..._

Exhaustion finally took its toll on the tortured mind and body of Bud Flood. He let his head fall limply on to his chest and welcomed the darkness that came to overtake him. One last tear escaped his eye before he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Buddy? There's blood all over him! Those cuts look terrible..."

"Buddy? Buddy, can you hear us? Check his pulse!"

"Don't worry, he's still alive. I think he's just fainted. Buddy! Wake up. Come on, wake up!"

The water salesman could sense that there were three people chattering around him and one of them was shaking him a little bit. He knew the three voices sounded familiar to him, but he was still caught in the haze of sleep and was unable to identify them. The canine slowly opened his eyes to see three blurry figures standing around him. He blinked his eyes a few more times before they finally came into focus. A feeling of disbelief washed over him as he realized who they were.

"Megavolt?" He said weakly. He cleared his throat to get his voice back to its normal tone. "Quackerjack? Bushroot?"

"Yes, it's us." Bushroot said calmly, his leafy hand still on the dog's shoulder. Bud figured he was the one who'd been shaking him. "Don't worry. We're going to get you off of this thing."

Quackerjack bent down and pulled a small pair of shears out of his puffy pants. He carefully snipped the wires around the canine's ankles, while Megavolt and Bushroot unwound the wire pinning his arms down. Once the jester was finished, he untied the ropes, then stood close to Bud and waited for the final wires and ropes to come off. When the water salesman was completely free, he fell on to his feet and was a little unstable after hanging on the wooden cross for most of the day. Quackerjack had anticipated this and caught the dog in his arms as he tilted forward and steadied him. Bud put an arm around the jester's shoulders as he regained his footing.

"Thank you," he said to Quackerjack as he finally felt stable enough to let go.

"You can thank us by not scaring us like that again." Bushroot told him in a serious tone. He then walked over and gave the water salesman a small hug. "We all thought you were dead..."

"I'm sorry I scared you all," his reply was heartfelt as Bushroot let go, "though I must admit I wasn't expecting anything other than foul company in a place like this."

"Now wait just a minute! Are you trying to tell me that you didn't think we'd try to rescue you?" Quackerjack said with indignation, placing his hands on his hips.

"I thought we all agreed on something when we met you at my lighthouse. We're your friends, Buddy." Megavolt told him with a warm smile. "We wouldn't abandon you when you needed us most, especially when we figured out you'd been sent to this awful place."

The other two nodded in agreement and the canine was filled with a warm feeling of gratitude that wiped away the despair that had overcome him earlier. He took a moment to collect himself, knowing that he could never repay them for risking their lives to come and save his. He was deeply touched and it made him smile for the first time that day.

"I can never thank any of you enough for coming here today. Though I am curious about two things," Bud said as he attempted to find buttons still attached to his dress shirt so he could be properly dressed again, "where is this place and how did you know I was here?"

"This is Negaduck's tower." Megavolt informed him grimly. "It's been said that no one who has been sent up here has ever come back alive. Basically, this is the place where Negaduck makes his enemies disappear. As for how we knew you were here, well, you can thank Quackerjack's old television set for that." The electric rat pointed to the jester who nodded.

"I happened to catch a breaking news story on TV today and it was about the polluting of St. Canard's water supply. When they named you as the culprit and said that Negaduck had taken you into custody, I knew it was a matter of life and death. I rounded up Megs and Bushy and we figured that you'd been taken to his tower. The problem was we didn't know where that was exactly."

Bud raised an eyebrow at this, but Bushroot took over the explanation before the dog could voice the obvious question.

"You may not know this, but Negaduck has a daughter named Gosalyn." Bud expression was one of complete disbelief at the news and Bushroot gave him a knowing smile. "What's even harder to believe is that she's a really sweet kid. Anyway, we went to the street where Negaduck lives to see if she might have any idea about where her father took you. Her and her friend Tank, that's the Muddlefoot's older son, showed us the spinning chairs that were really a secret passageway to the Tower. Gosalyn also informed us that she had seen her father drag an unconscious canine man to the chairs, so we knew we had the right place.

"The problem was we didn't know how we could use the secret passageway when Negaduck was already up in the Tower without getting caught. That's when Tank told us that Negaduck likes to do a neighborhood run through shortly after three o' clock to make sure everything is still as unruly and polluted as he likes it. The three of us hid in the house until the crime lord came back from the Tower with his sidekick and the witch Morgana." Bushroot noticed that Bud's expression had darkened considerably at the mention of her name before he continued. "Once we were sure they were gone, the three of us used the spinning chairs to get up to this Tower. That's when we found you and, well, you know the rest."

Bud nodded and finished buttoning his business suit jacket when Megavolt finally voiced the tough question that they had all been curious about since they had arrived.

"It was Morgana, wasn't it?" The electric rodent inquired quietly. "She's the reason Negaduck found out about what you were doing."

"Yes, yes, she was." Bud's short reply held a tone of animosity they'd never heard before. He didn't look at any of them as he confirmed their theory about the witch woman. The three of them decided wisely not to say anything else on the subject for the moment.

"Come on, we'd better get going." Quackerjack was rocking back and forth impatiently on his feet. "Gosalyn and Tank said they'd distract Negaduck and his lackies as long as they could, but it still doesn't give us a very big time window if we want to sneak out of here unnoticed."

The others nodded in agreement and were about to leave the room when they heard a whirring sound in the main room of the Tower. Their hearts all stopped as they realized they were too late. The crime lord had returned with what sounded like his right hand man Launchpad and his witch accomplice Morgana.

"You know, nothing put's me into a good mood like seeing all my hard work put into action. I mean, just look at all those noxious fumes covering the city!" The yellow costumed duck spoke triumphantly.

"Yeah, heh heh, it truly is a sight for sore eyes," came the voice of Launchpad McQuack.

"Speaking of eye sores," Morgana's said in a silky tone, "shouldn't we check on the one we've got tied up in the back room?"

"That's not a bad idea, Morgana." The four people in the room flinched as the sound of his voice got closer. "I think I'm about ready to remove this particular eye sore with a little help from an old friend."

The buzzing of chainsaw met all their ears and they exchanged panicked glances. Megavolt was the first to get it together and he herded the other three to the door. He placed Quackerjack by the right side of the door with Bud standing in between him and Bushroot. The sparking rodent maneuvered himself to the left side of the door and prepared to fire a shot of electricity into his enemy's back to stall him.

"Alright, listen up! We don't have much time." Megavolt whispered as quickly and quietly as he could. "Once Negaduck is far enough into the room, I want you three to head for the chairs and get out of here. I'll be behind you, but I want to make sure I stun Negaduck first so we have a little more time. Everybody got it?"

The other three nodded and they all pressed themselves back against the wall. Seconds later, the self-proclaimed ruler of St. Canard burst through the double doors and strode into the room. As soon as he had walked far enough in Quackerjack silently moved out the door with Bud and Bushroot following close behind. Just as they were past the threshold, they heard Negaduck give a small cry of shock when he found that his hostage had escaped.

"Huh? Hey, where did he—!"

Quackerjack, Bud and Bushroot heard a zapping noise and then a clatter as the crime lord's chain saw hit the floor. Bud took a quick glance behind them to see that Megavolt was hurrying out of the room to catch up to them. They had been lucky so far that the Launchpad and Morgana had their backs turned to them and were too caught up in conversation to notice them creeping across the Tower. Just as they were about to reach the chairs, Negaduck's angry snarl echoed throughout his Tower:

"Intruders! Get them! _Now_!"

At the sound of their Lord's voice, Launchpad and Morgana whipped around to find the prey in question. Seeing the trio of familiar enemies and their prisoner attempting escape, they both ran forward to stop them.

Megavolt skidded to a stop and turned to face Negaduck, firing another stream of electricity from his fingers. The yellow-suited mallard deftly dodged his enemy's first attack and fired up his chainsaw. The electric rodent kept sending shots of power at Negaduck, but none of them connected.

Quackerjack, seeing Launchpad getting closer, leaped forward and landed a flying kick on his opponent that hit him square in the stomach. The burly duck slid backwards on the floor from the force of the blow. He raised himself on his elbows with a groan, only to duck down again quickly as the jester began juggling his special brand of exploding balls and throwing them in his direction.

With his friends otherwise occupied, it was up to Bushroot to stop Morgana. The witch had halted her approach when she her two allies get assaulted by their enemies. Instead she had started casting a spell and now she had her own army of little red hot flame balls dancing around her, waiting for their orders. Seeing a bag of confiscated fireworks nearby, the plant duck extended both of his arms to grasp the bag.

"Get behind me!" He ordered Bud as he used his extended arms to throw the bag in the direction of the advancing fireballs.

The fireworks made a direct hit with the fireballs and as a result the bag exploded in a deafening bang. Colors of all kinds began whirling and hissing around the Tower, making a smoke screen between Bushroot and Morgana. The mutant scientist was about to use the chaos to get the water salesman to the chairs and away from the wretched place they were in when an excruciating pain in right arm made him scream.

"Reggie!" Bud cried out in alarm as he caught the reeling botanist from behind. Bushroot grimaced with pain as he retracted his arms back to his body only to see that his right arm had been severed at the elbow.

A familiar whirring noise alerted them both to danger as Negaduck appeared before him with sap stains on the blades of his chainsaw. He had used the smoke screen to his advantage to lose Megavolt and sneak up on Bushroot in the process. Sap poured out of the gaping wound as Bushroot and Bud warily watched the yellow-suited mallard approach. Their enemy raised his chainsaw menacingly and started to run towards the two of them when he convulsed violently. Blue light traveled through his body before he collapsed forward with a groan. Megavolt had made his way through the smoke and had hit Negaduck with a shot of electricity.

"Bushroot!" He ordered as Negaduck twitched on the floor and tried to regain his senses. "Take Buddy to the chairs and get him out of here!"

His voice held no room for argument and Bushroot just nodded. The plant mutant grabbed Bud by the shoulder and forced him to turn around with a shove. He kept a leaf on the dog's back and pushed him forward as he ran behind him. When they reached the chairs, Bushroot forced his companion into the left chair while he seated himself in the right. The smoke from the fireworks had finally cleared and Bud could see that Launchpad and Morgana had teamed up to fight Quackerjack. The jester expertly dodged blows from the slower Launchpad, but Morgana was adding her small flames to the mix and it was getting harder for him to stay ahead of his enemies. On the other side of the room, Megavolt was standing between Negaduck and the chairs. Electricity shot from the amperes on his hat, which the mallard was quick to dodge. He swung his chainsaw at his enemy and its whirring blades narrowly missed the electric rodent.

"Wait!" Bud's voice was lined with desperation as he watched the continuing fight. There were so many close calls happening every moment and all it would take was one wrong move for either one of their allies to be killed. "What about—?"

He never got to ask his question as Bushroot hit the Great Mouse Detective on the head and the chairs spun. The canine was hit with a wave of disorientation before he realized that he was traveling through a deep tunnel. As they continued to their steady descent, Bud turned to Bushroot who was still having a tough time. He was clutching his stump, which was bleeding a little less, and trying to control his expression so that his pain wasn't too obvious.

"The others—"Bud started, but the botanist wouldn't let him finish.

"Will be fine." He said sharply meeting the dog's eyes with his blue ones. "You don't have to worry about them. They've been fighting against Negaduck and his ilk for years. They know what they're doing. If you really care about them, then you'll do your best to escape."

Bushroot was being short with him, but the water salesman took no offense to it. He knew that the plant duck was in pain from his arm and that he was worried about his comrades, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Silently, he nodded to the other in understanding. He received a small smile as his reply before they were spinning again.

When the chairs came to a stop, Bud found himself in a trashy living room with torn curtains, dirty carpets, a broken TV and a couch with springs coming out of the cushions. He thought that it was the most unkempt house that he had ever seen. His displeasure at his whereabouts faded when he realized he wasn't alone. Staring at him with big green eyes full of concern was a little gosling child. Her red hair was perfectly curled and tied in pigtails with green ribbons. She was wearing a frilly pink dress with a pair of perfect black dress shoes. Her hands were clutched tightly in front of her as if in fear and that's when it occurred to him that his torn, bloody clothing and haggard appearance were probably upsetting this little girl.

"Buddy," Bushroot's voice startled the canine. He'd forgotten that the other duck was there because he'd been so shocked by the presence of the young duckling. "Remember the girl I told you about earlier? The one who helped us find you? Well, this is her. Her name is Gosalyn Mallard and she's a very nice young lady."

Bud's eyes widened in amazement and disbelief as the little girl before she graced him a perfect curtsy in greeting. He couldn't imagine how it was possible for such a sweet young girl to be in the hands of someone so cruel.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Flood." Gosalyn greeted him in a soft-spoken voice. Her green eyes met his and her expression was one of pure sorrow. "I'm so sorry about what my father did to you. I should have gone for help sooner." She bowed her head and stared at the dirty ground. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. It isn't your fault kiddo." The salesman told her firmly, bending down on one knee and placing his hands on your shoulders. She looked up at him with uncertainty and he gave her a big smile. "Besides, I can personally guarantee you that my cuts are going to heal just fine and I have enough money to buy a new suit. I can also personally endorse that neither one of those things would be possible without you."

Gosalyn didn't seem to be entirely convinced, but she did not argue with him about it. Abruptly, she started digging in her pockets and pulled out a small, pink handkerchief with white lace and started looking around the room for something.

"Inquiring minds would like to know what you're searching for?"

"Oh, I'm sorry it's such a mess in here." She gave him an apologetic little bow as she continued her flustered explanation. "I thought I left it in here. We have a bottle of rubbing alcohol around here somewhere. I would like you to have it so you can clean some of your wounds."

"It's okay Gosalyn." Bud said to her, feeling very touched. "Medical journals everywhere have written that cuts like mine won't kill me. Besides, you've done enough for me already."

"But—"

"But if you insist on continuing to help me, there is one thing that this bottled water salesman would certainly like to see after a long day."

"What is it? If we have whatever you're looking for, I'll be happy to get it for you."

"That's quite a bargain. Then, how about a nice, big smile from you?" She seemed surprised at this request, but the canine continued on unabashed. "If there's one thing that I one hundred percent disapprove of, it's making a child unhappy. So, I would feel so much better if you stopped worrying about me and smiled. Please?"

The red-haired duckling did as she was asked and gave him a big smile. Bud was amazed at what a difference it made and ruffled her hair in gratitude. Just as he was about to pay her a compliment, another young duckling rushed into the room. This one was a stockier male duckling, with fluffy brown hair, big glasses and a sweater. He had obviously been in a hurry because he was panting as he came to a halt in front of Gosalyn.

"Tank, what's wrong?" She questioned as her friend placed his hands on his head so he could breathe easier.

"My...parents..." He wheezed out as he finally caught his breath. "My parents are coming!"

"Your parents?" Bud asked with raised eyebrows, not understanding why this was so important. Bushroot expression, however, changed to one of panic and he grabbed the water salesman by the wrist.

"Buddy, this is Tank Muddlefoot. All the Muddlefoots, except for Tank here, are some of Negaduck's loyalest and most brutal followers. If we don't get out of here before they see us we're going to be dodging gun fire."

Bud didn't need to be told twice and both of them scurried towards the front door. Unfortunately, the Muddlefoots were walking up to it at the same time and the pair of them back peddled, trying to find another way out.

"Quick, sneak out the back!" Tank said and Gosalyn pointed towards the kitchen where they could make their way into the back yard. "We'll distract my parents."

"But you kids—" Bud started, worried for their safety, but Tank wouldn't let him finish.

"Get going! We'll be fine. Hurry!"

"Be careful!" Gosalyn said to their backs as they ran into the kitchen just as the front door burst open.

Bushroot carefully opened the back door so that no sound could alert their enemies to their presence. Gesturing for the canine to go, Bud slipped quietly out the door, all the while listening to the voices conversing by the front door.

"Tank, dear, would you or Gosalyn have happened to see two strange men walking through the house that Lord Negaduck wants to have sliced up into tiny bits and then burnt up in a roaring fire?" The sinister question was made by a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Actually, mother, Gosalyn was just telling me that she saw some strangers disappear into one of the rooms up the stairs. As a matter-of-fact, she and I were just about to come get you when you arrived."

"Excellent job, m'boy." A husky voice stated enthusiastically as the sound of a gun cocking filled the air. "Nothin' fer you kids ta worry about. We're just gonna have a little looksie upstairs and shoot anybody we find up there."

That was the last thing either of them heard of the conversation as Bushroot quietly closed the back door with a shiver. The plant mutant and his canine companion wasted no time in sneaking around to the front of the house and down the sidewalk. Once they figured they were good distance away from Negaduck's house, the pair picked up the pace until they were both sprinting away from the scene.

"All fugitives on the run desire to know what the plan is now?" Bud called over to Bushroot as he ran beside him.

"The plan is to get away from this residential area and into the city. Once there, we can take some back roads to the warehouse district and hide out there. Even if Negaduck figures out where we went, it will still take him a while to find us, by which time we can be long gone."

Bud nodded and the two of them continued running in silence for a few more blocks. They had just reached the end of the suburb and both of them were starting to relax for the first time in the last hour. Bushroot stopped them on the outskirts of the city so that they had a chance to rest. Scarcely a minute later, the plant duck glanced behind him and what he saw made him stiffen in alarm.

"Look out!" He cried as he ran into Bud as hard as he could to tackle him. The two of them toppled over just as a large fireball, that had been aimed at the water salesman, zoomed harmlessly overhead.

"Thanks..." Bud whispered with a hand over his heart, realizing how close he had come to being fried.

Bushroot nodded in response, got up and helped his friend to his feet. Both glared back at their attacker, who looked back at them with contempt. The sorceress Morgana had used Bushroot's severed arm, which had been left behind at the Tower, to create an effective tracking spell and, once she had locked on to her prey, she warped straight to them.

"Anyone ever tell you that stalking is impolite?" The mutant scientist inquired as he got in front of Bud. "Not to mention completely unattractive."

"It isn't 'stalking' if the other person likes it. Isn't that right, Buddy?" She asked with a mock innocence. The water salesman brushed the comment off with a low growl.

"Buddy," the green duck jerked his head around so he could address the dog standing behind him, "I want you to run as fast as you can into the city. Once you're safe, you need to find a way to get as far away from here as you can. I'll hold her off, so get moving!."

"No deal." Bud replied with finality. "You can't expect me to leave you here after—"

"I expect you to do what's sensible!" Bushroot interrupted and plowed forward before the salesman could have a say. "I expect you to respect what my friends and I—**your** friends have done for you. If you don't, you'll waste everything that we've risked and fought for today."

Bud closed his mouth, thinking of nothing he could say that could counter that. A doleful expression on his face, the water salesman took his first hesitant step away from the plant duck.

"I'll be fine." Bushroot reassured him. "Go!"

Bud turned around and started to run, but he didn't get very far before a familiar voice sent a shiver down his spine. He looked over his shoulder to see the short form of Negaduck tapping a gas gun against the palm of his left hand.

"Gee, Twiggy, it sure is brave of you to stay behind and try to fight us off." Negaduck said with a false sweetness. "Especially since you're just going to end up like your captured compatriots."

Launchpad had come skulking up behind the crime lord and he carried a limp body under each arm. The bulky sidekick gripped the two bodies by the wrist and held them up for Bushroot to see. One was Megavolt's and the other was Quackerjack's, both of whom looked ragged and beaten. Launchpad let them go and they fell unceremoniously onto the pavement, neither one of them showing any signs of movement. Negaduck laughed at the worried expression on Bushroot's face as he handed Morgana a canister of gas.

"Morgana, there's a certain flower that needs a good throttling. Mind doing the honors?"

Morgana pointed to the small canister and it disappeared instantly, only to reappear right in front of the plant duck's bill. The canister opened and started spraying weed killer. To make matters worse the small container swirled around its victim, making sure that he was surrounded by a cloud of toxic gas. Bushroot covered his bill and tried moving away from the cloud, but it was no use. Morgana's eyes were locked on her enemy and she made sure that the weed killer followed him wherever he went. The botanist inhaled the gas and started coughing violently. He felt his body weakening and collapsed onto his knees as he felt the strength leaving his body. Finally, he fell forward on the concrete and lay still as the weed killer overpowered him.

Bud, who had been glancing back at the scene with dread, stopped only a short distance away from the attack. Part of him thought that he should still be running away, but another part of him didn't want to leave Bushroot behind. He stood still for a minute in debate, until Negaduck approached the prone body and pulled out his chainsaw with a delighted cackle. That sight made up his mind instantly and he ran back towards the crime lord at full speed.

Negaduck was about to rev up his chainsaw when Bud slammed into him, sending the yellow-suited mallard skidding back towards the sidewalk. The water salesman bent over the now unconscious Bushroot and was about to pick him up when something wrapped around his ankles and forced his legs together. Off-balance, he fell to the ground where he felt something continue to slither around him, binding his legs and arms. It was a rope that had come to life all on its own. Wriggling desperately in the hopes of getting free, he heard Negaduck's triumphant laugh come from somewhere above him.

"Excellent work Morgana." The crime lord nodded in approval at the witch before leaning over Bud with a sneer. "Did you really think these three losers could save you from me? You could have just accepted a quick death back in the Tower, but **no**. You had be spirited and try to escape. Do you remember how I feel about spirit?" Not waiting for an answer, Negaduck gave Bud a hard kick in the side. "I'll be sure to reward your _spirit, _Flood, with the science of pain. Morgana, give the salesman a little free sample of his upcoming demise."

Obediently, Morgana floated forward and halted on the other side of Bud. A small black vial with a poison emblem on it was held in her right hand. She opened it with a short pop and tipped it slightly so that a single drop of green fluid dribbled out of the bottle and onto the canine's left leg just above his knee. The liquid immediately burnt away the fabric of his clothing where it hit and burned away the skin beneath it. Bud let out a howl of pain and struggled against his bonds as his flesh sizzled. Enjoying the scene, Negaduck waited until the initial reaction had wore off before he spoke again.

"So, did that meet your customer approval, Flood?" He questioned as the dog glared at him, managing to sit up in his bonds. "If you liked that, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that there's going to be an entire vat full of it and its reserved especially for you."

This time, Bud couldn't hide the growing dread that had filled him at Negaduck's words. The evil mallard grinned at the fearful expression he was given and signaled to Launchpad to get behind the canine.

"Launchpad, give Mr. Flood some of your patented anesthetic."

"No problemo, boss." A husky voice behind the salesman said as he felt a sharp blow hit him in the back of the head. The world spun and Bud Flood quickly lost consciousness. The last thing he heard were three voices joined in maniacal laughter.


	4. Death of a Salesman

**Death of a Salesman**

**

* * *

**

When Bud Flood opened his eyes, he found himself in an odd place. Figuring that he would be strung up on the cross again or at least tied up, he found that the rope that had bound him was gone and his back was up against something wet and cold. In fact, all of him was pretty cold. Wrapping his arms around himself and blinking his eyes to bring his vision into focus, he realized that all the walls and floors were covered in ice. Several jugs of frozen water were scattered about the cold room, along with miscellaneous crates and the canine came to the conclusion that he had been thrown into a giant fridge.

"Are you awake now, Buddy?" A nasally voice brought his attention back to reality. It was Megavolt, who was sitting across from the water salesman, that had asked him the question. His yellow jumpsuit was scratched up and Bud could make out burns on his forearms. The rodent seemed a bit drained, but he was otherwise okay, much to Bud's relief.

"I am." He answered politely. "I'm glad you're still alive. Where are Quackerjack and Bushroot?"

"We're both here." Quackerjack answered from farther down in the fridge. He scooted closer to Megavolt, so that he wouldn't have to shout at the canine to talk to him. The jester was also scuffed up a bit, with burns on his legs and part of the left side of his hat missing. Bud also noticed a bit of discoloration by his right eye and figured that he must have gotten a black eye during the fight at the Tower. "Wherever here is, anyway. Bushy's sitting beside you." The jester informed him before he could ask.

Bud turned to his right and, sure enough, there was Bushroot. The half-plant half-duck was curled up into a ball, obviously trying keep warm as best he could. His arms were wrapped around his legs, with his right arm still ending at his elbow. He smiled weakly at the canine as his breath showed up clearly in the frigid room.

"H-Hi Buddy. I-I'm glad you're awake, though I'm sorry that you're here." The botanist's voice was shaky and, even though the water salesman could tell he was trying not to show it, it was clear that the green duck was miserable in this place. His purple petals seemed to have lost a little color, even wilting a little.

"I could say the same to you. This kind of temperature can't be good for a plant." Bud replied sympathetically.

"It's not," Bushroot admitted through chattering teeth, "but I'll live. I've been run over by a lawn mower and I'm still here today. A little cold won't do me in." He tried to give a reassuring smile, but a piece of ice broke of the wall and slid down his back causing him to tremble violently. Feeling sorry for the plant duck shivering in this cold room, he took off his business suit coat and offered it to the mutant as a blanket.

"Here, use this. It should help a little with the cold."

"N-No that's okay. I don't want you to get sick by giving up your coat for me."

"Take it." Bud said firmly and wrapped the coat around Bushroot. The plant duck stopped protesting and huddled into the thick fabric that had been warmed by the dog's body heat.

"Thank you." Bushroot said sincerely.

"No problem. How's your arm?" Bud inquired kindly. The arm had stopped bleeding sap, but the business dog was still worried about it.

"It'll be fine." The other told him reassuringly. "Some of my plant cells have grown over the wound. Once I get some sun light and plant food, I'll regrow my forearm and it'll be as good as new."

Bud nodded in relief before lapsing into silence. It had been an awful day for all of them—that much he could say without question. He studied each face in the room and saw they all wore the same bleak expression. Misery was clear in all of their postures and it wasn't just from the bitter cold. Everyone in the room knew that today might be the last day of their lives. An incredible feeling of guilt overwhelmed Bud Flood as he realized he was responsible for all of them being there now. He let out a long, sad sigh and set his gaze on the icy floor.

"I want to apologize to all three of you for the mess we're in. If I hadn't been so stubborn and listened to you guys about Morgana none of us would be sitting here now." Bud closed his eyes and put his head against his closed hands. "I'm so sorry..."

If he was looking up, he would have seen the shocked expressions on Megavolt's, Quackerjack's and Bushroot's faces. Megavolt quickly shook his head in protest.

"No, Buddy, you shouldn't blame yourself! It's not your fault for what happened." The electric rodent met the eyes of the water salesman before continuing. "After all, you're only here because you decided to help us."

"That's right." Quackerjack nodded with a pout on his large bill. "It's us who should apologize to you. We should have never asked you to play for our team, especially since we knew that it would put your life in danger."

"Well, in your defense, I would have tried to stop Negaduck whether you had asked for my help or not." Bud replied with a small smile. "He would have come after me eventually, so I don't want you to feel bad about it."

"That's nice of you Buddy but even so, the truth remains that we weren't able to rescue you." Bushroot said sadly. "It's like Negaduck always says. We're just a bunch of losers..."

"No one should endorse anything that he says, particularly at a time like this. Inside sources know that he got a bachelors degree in Pathological Lying." The water salesman scolded as some of his normal energy returned to his voice. The remark earned him a small smile from the plant duck next to him. "Anyway, I would have died alone on that cross today if you hadn't come for me. The three of you broke into Negaduck's house, infiltrated his Tower and did your best to rescue me. None of you had to do that for me and most people in this city wouldn't have bothered. Believe me, proper character analysis shows that these aren't the actions of losers."

A quiet moment passed between the four of them. Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot all looked at Bud with smiles on their faces and the canine could only smile back. None of them knew what to say to each other, but it didn't matter. They were in the company of good friends and it was enough to make even the grim situation they were in a little better.

In the calm of the moment, the water salesman took in more of his surroundings and found that they seemed familiar to him. There was a wooden box a few steps away from him and as he glanced at the logo that was covered over with frost he sucked in his breath.

"I know where we are." Bud slowly stood up and brushed off some of the ice on a nearby crate. A grimace appeared on his face as the familiar logo confirmed his theory. "We're in the freezer at my bottled water factory. Negaduck is probably contaminating my water supply as we speak."

A sharp twinge in his leg reminded him of the threat he had been issued before he had been knocked out. Sucking in his breath, he sank back onto the cold floor to ease the pain in his left leg.

"What's the matter?" Quackerjack inquired with concern as the canine continued to take deep breaths to ease his pain.

"Here, let me take a look." Bushroot offered as he slid over towards the canine. He put a hand over his bill at the sight of the large, ugly wound above Bud's left knee. "That looks like an acid burn." Bushroot explained to the jester so that Bud wouldn't have to. "Did...Did Morgana do this to you?" The sympathetic blue eyes watched as his friend nodded and he felt disgust spread throughout his being.

"That bitch!" Quackerjack spat as he crawled closer to take a better look at the wound.

He winced as he saw that the skin had been completely burned off where the acid had hit, leaving an exposed piece of flesh in its wake. Not wanting it to fester, the toymaker ripped some long strips of cloth from his puffy pants.

"Here, let me see your leg." Bud obliged him by straightening out his leg, so it could rest on his lap, though it clearly pained him to do it. Quackerjack deftly wrapped the strips of cloth around the dog's leg, making a makeshift bandage. A few minutes later, Bud had the most colorful bandage he had ever seen in his life tied with a neat little bow over his wound.

"Thank you. Product assessment suggests that such colorful bandages would be popular in childrens hospitals and that our local jester should consider producing a line of Quackerjack bandages."

"I'll think I'll stick with toys. Just thinking about hospitals depresses me and there's nothing worse than being depressed. It's no fun!" He stuck his tongue out comically.

"Speaking of thinking, we should be trying to come up with a plan to get out of here." Megavolt interrupted pragmatically. Any ideas on the matter where never voiced as the heavy door opened and Negaduck walked in.

"Greetings kids."

Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot all got in front of Bud. The gesture was met with a snort by the crime lord.

"What do you knobs possibly think you can do to stop me now? In case the three of you haven't noticed, your powers are depleted and your weapons were taken away. Not to mention that that my newest water company is now crawling with SHUSH agents ready to machine gun any trespasser that crosses their path. So, if you'd still like to try and escape, be my guest. Believe me, I'll certainly enjoy watching your guts splatter all over the walls."

Quackerjack and Bushroot looked at Megavolt for direction after the short mallard had spoken. The electric rat clenched his fists, clearly hating the decision he had to make. He shook his head at his friends, knowing that this wasn't a fight they could win.

"I didn't think so." Negaduck said smugly as the three of them stood down. "Boys!" He called over his shoulder.

SHUSH agents rushed in from behind the crime lord and seized the four captives of the fridge. Bud was forced to his feet and slammed against the cold wall as a rope was harshly tied around his wrists. Two of them were placed into handcuffs, while Bushroot's arms were tied together tightly with a rope. When the four of them were properly bound Negaduck made the signal to follow him. Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot were pushed into a line with Bud picking up the rear as they headed out the door.

They marched forward in silence until they reached a metal stairway that led up to the metal walkways that ran in between all the water vats. Negaduck's unkempt sidekick Launchpad was coming down the steps as they approached, carrying some bloody bundle over his shoulder.

"Hiya, Boss." He said with a causal wave. "Where do you want me to put this sack of garbage?"

"Just throw it over there for now." Negaduck said apathetically as he pointed to the wall by the fridge.

"And the others?"

"Same."

With that said, Negaduck began his ascent up the stairs with his prisoners unwillingly trekking behind him. When Launchpad passed the water salesman, he got a closer look at this so-called garbage and his mouth fell open slightly as he realized who it was. Slung haphazardly over Launchpad's shoulder was the dead body of Karl Fizzy, head of the Koo Koo Fizzy Water Factory. The body had been beaten bloody and there was a large gaping wound between the shoulders of the victim's back, which he knew had to have been the fatal blow. He assumed that the other bottled water corporate heads had shared the same fate. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, he put his concentration back on the grim situation at hand.

Once the canine had come up the steps, he was ushered to the front of the railing overlooking a still clean vat of his company's water. Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot had all been sent farther down the walkway and were now being forced onto their knees. The three of them glared back at the guards who had drawn their weapons to intimidate their captives. Despite this show of resistance, it was clear there was nothing any of them could do for him now.

He heard the clatter of footsteps behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see that Launchpad had made his way back up the stairs. The burly mallard approached him, grabbed him roughly and turned him around. He untied Bud's hands, then kept a painful grip on his right arm to make sure he didn't go anywhere. A few minutes passed as he remained in Launchpad's grip, wondering what they were waiting for. A disturbance in the air marked the entrance of Morgana, carrying a large container with a poison warning on the front of it.

"Ah, right on schedule." Negaduck spoke eagerly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I always appreciate punctuality when it comes to my evil plans." Morgana gave a warm smile at the compliment and promptly handed him the jug. He in turn strode over to Bud and shoved the jug into his hands.

"Since you've wasted my precious time try to decontaminate my water vats, I believe it's only fitting that you pay me back by contaminating your vats with your own hands. Pour it in and if you try anything funny, I'll have my men put a bullet through your brain."

To emphasize the point, the SHUSH agents that had dragged him up there cocked their guns and locked on to his position. Turning around reluctantly, he opened the poison jug up and poured its contents into the once pure water below. The water bubbled, sizzled and hissed as it turned to a murky green color. Bud grimaced as he recognized the liquid he'd put into his water as the acid that had been used to burn off the flesh on his leg. He paled as he turned back around to face Negaduck, but at the same time he felt a strange sense of calm. The kind of calm that comes to someone who knows their life is about to end.

"After I contaminate all the vats in this factory, St. Canard's water supply is mine. Soon I will be the only one to distribute drinking water to the pathetic peons of the public and mine will be the only drink that can be drunk." Negaduck gave a triumphant cackle as he rested his beady black eyes on the water salesman. "Is that the ultimate form of advertising or what?"

"I think that the consumers would rather drink a big, fat monkey brain than any brand of your "pure" water." Bud stated in a strong voice.

"Is that so? Well, I still think my bottle of mountain magic is going sell better than anything on the market since it will be the **only** thing of its kind on the market." Negaduck replied in a deceptively calm voice. He advanced towards the canine with his finger pointed at him, which made Bud draw back to the railing.

"Besides, I don't remember asking for your opinion. After all," his tone had darkened considerably and he roughly grabbed Bud by his jacket, "you're about to go up the river, Mr. Taste Test."

As the sentence ended, the self-proclaimed ruler of the Negaverse heaved Bud Flood over the railing and sent him spiraling down towards the acid contaminated vat below. The water salesman had tried to grab the railing as he was hurled over it, but his attempt was in vain and he fell into the acid with a splash.

In that brief moment, he could feel the acid searing his flesh from his body and he made a desperate lunge towards the surface. His head made it back above the water and he flailed his arms helplessly as his lower body continued to disintegrate. He could hear the voices of his friends above him calling his name and crying out in despair at what was happening to him. Pain and fear had finally overcome him and he shouted out one last desperate plea.

"Help me! I'm melting!" He cried out as the acid worked its way up his body and finally dragged him under.

Once he was surrounded by the acid, pain was the only sensation he could feel. It covered his whole body and burned away at him piece by piece. Against his will, he opened his mouth to scream, letting the acid flow inside of him and burn him from the inside out. His legs and arms spasmed around him as his insides melted and his exterior burned off. Knowing that he was dying, Bud Flood was relieved when his consciousness began to fade and the pain started to subside. The last thing he remembered was looking up at his hands and seeing the fur peeling off to reveal shades of blue underneath his flesh. He closed his eyes and Bud Flood was no more.

* * *

He was floating. His body as he had known it was gone. He had no concept of time or space, no knowledge of place or purpose. He wasn't happy or sad, relieved or regretful, caring or uncaring. He just was.

_Where am I?_ He thought as something swirled around him. _Is this the afterlife?_

His perception had been that when he died something would guide him to Heaven or to God or whatever the highest power of the universe was. He decided to open his eyes, wondering if he could see without his physical form. Upon opening them, he found that he was in a cylinder surrounded by some type of orange fluid.

_Wait...this looks like the vat that I drowned in. Why am I still here? Is this some type of purgatory? _

He placed a hand under his muzzle in confusion and instantly pulled it away to look at. He had hands, arms and a muzzle, yet he didn't feel like he had any form at all.

_Then, am I alive? How could that be possible? I was burned alive! My body disintegrated! _

He looked down at his hands again and it dawned on him that they were blue. In fact, every part of his body that he could see was blue and bubbling.

_Maybe __**I**__ survived, but my body didn't. _He looked up towards the surface. _Only one way to find out..._

He quickly swam up and surfaced from the vat. Letting in a big gulp of air, he climbed over the edge of the container and landed on the ground with a loud splat. He could feel himself shrink upon impact, but his body adjusted itself immediately and soon he was back to his normal height.

_How wet did I get? _He thought as he sloshed over to the reflective side of the vat to get a look at himself. _I feel like I'm covered in water..._

Soon enough all of his questions were answered as he stared at his reflection in his once pristine water vat. He gaped in disbelief at the sight before him. A canine stood in front of him with hollow dark blue eyes and a body made entirely of water. The long ears dripped water down into the puddle that made up his feet. Still disbelieving that the creature in the reflection was him, he touched his muzzle with his hand.

_This is me? Not only am I alive, I'm made of water. How...how can this be...?_

Shocked and overwhelmed, the once meager, but brilliant bottled water salesman turned away from the picture in front of him and sat on the ground beside the vat. Placing his head in his hands, not knowing what he should do next he was reminded of his situation when he heard footsteps nearby. He looked up just in time to see SHUSH guards come round the vat and point their guns at him.

"Who's there?" One of them shouted as he cocked his gun. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Hastily he stood up and slid backwards away from his assailants, not knowing what he should do. He didn't think they could hurt him with their weaponry, but he couldn't be certain of the idea. The guards stopped short when they started to approach him, taking in the strange sight in front of them. They looked between each other, as if none of them really knew what to do. The canine himself wasn't quite sure what he should be doing, fervently wishing someone or something could help him.

Just as he wished for it, water in the vat to the left of the one he was in gained a sentient quality. The water formed a tight stream and flowed out of its container at the former salesman's assailants. The three guards panicked and tried to get away, but the water was faster. It swept them up in its current, sent them on a dizzying ride across the floor before slamming them into a wall, leaving them unconscious.

The former bottled water salesman watched the scene in astonishment. Wondering if this had been a strange fluke, he tried to summon more water to him and sure enough water flowed over the vat and surrounded the watery dog.

_This is amazing! Even Negaduck will have a hard time stopping me now that his chainsaw won't be of any use. _His grin faded as his memories came flooding back to him and he looked up at the metal walkway for any signs of the crime lord. It was then that he remembered the captive Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot, who had been with him before he'd been thrown into the acid vat.

_He's gone and so are my friends. I_ _have to figure out where Negaduck took them. _

His mind made up, he started to run around the factory only to realize that he wasn't really running at all. He was gliding on the puddle that served as his feet. Smiling at this new ability, he easily covered the grounds of the factory, still seeing no signs of the yellow-suited mallard or of the others. Deciding it was time to leave the factory and search elsewhere, the liquid dog made his way to the front door.

As he was about to open it, he heard chatter from the outside. He made out two voices and figured that they were SHUSH cronies sent to stand guard. Backing away from the door, the ex-salesman tried to dismiss his form so he could sneak underneath the door unhindered. Instantly, he dropped down into a puddle and slid under the door.

Once outside, he slide a little in front of the guards and telepathically summoned some water to come to his aid. Water from the vats moved on its own over its containers, moved through the factory and burst through the front doors, knocking both guards off their feet. When the water settled around them, they were thoroughly disoriented and thus could do nothing when the canine reformed. He placed his fingers in the water, asking it to hold the guards down. To his complete surprise, the water's consistency began to change and it turned into a rubbery substance that held the two hapless guards in its unyielding grip. Satisfied, he crossed his arms and glared menacingly down at the two captive guardsman.

"I have a question for you and my time is limited, so I'm not in the mood for any funny business." He growled out in thick watery voice. "Insider information claims that you took three high profile people on Negaduck's wanted list into custody. This dissatisfied customer wants to know where they are without delay!"

The pair of bewildered agents on the ground could only stare at the being in front of them in growing terror, wondering how such a thing could exist. This thing that no gun, knife or grenade could hurt.

"W-Who a-are you?" One of them managed to squeak out, while the other quivered in fear beside him.

"Me? Why, the customer you are dealing with is none other than—" The former salesman had to pause here, not for effect but to figure out what to call himself. He didn't feel right calling himself Bud Flood anymore. Bud Flood had disintegrated in a pool of acid and was gone forever. All that remained was a dog transformed into a watery being who could control liquids. He grinned as he suddenly came up with the perfect name for himself. "—the Liquidator, master of all liquids!" He spoke in a loud announcers voice. His grin faded and turned back into a scowl as he glowered down at the SHUSH agents, trying his best to intimidate them. "Four out five doctors suggest that answering this client's question promptly is the best way to ensure no bodily harm will come to you."

"T-They were put in one of the SHUSH armored vans." The quivering duck stammered out quickly. "T-They're on their way t-to SHUSH central."

"Inquiring minds want to know how long ago they left and which road they took?"

"About twenty minutes ago." The other guard answered without pause. "They should be traveling on fifth street through the city."

Nodding in satisfaction, he turned the water wet again before whirling around and speeding off. To make better time, he called upon water from the fire hydrants along the street to aid his quest. Water burst through every fire hydrant on the street and gathered beneath the puddle that was his feet. He mounted the top of the wave that had formed under him and it rushed forward like a tidal wave. His eyes scoured the area, searching for the van in question. Ten minutes later, his hollow blue eyes spotted the target. They were only another ten minutes away from SHUSH central. If they reached that facility, he knew that Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot would never see the light of day again.

Liquidator sunk into the water and made it form into a thick, flat sheet that slid easily underneath the armored vehicle. The tires picked up the excessive amounts of water that was strategically placed beneath them and soon the van lost control, doing two three-sixty spins in the deserted street.

The liquid dog reformed just as two armed SHUSH agents stormed out the truck, wondering what had happened. It didn't take them long to spot Liquidator and they both fired multiple rounds into the watery form of the canine. The bullets sailed harmlessly through his body and he couldn't help but grin in amusement at the shocked expressions on the faces of the two guardsman.

"Faulty weaponry getting you down? Want to experience a new, extraordinary way to get thrashed? Then, test out the astonishing powers of the Liquidator, completely free of charge!"

With his advertisement finished, he summoned the remaining water into a powerful stream that hit the two guardsman dead center and slammed them head first into the armor vehicle. They both collapsed unconscious in a heap on the concrete ground.

Liquidator swished his way over to the back of the van to see that the doors had been closed with a padlock. Placing his hands over it, he concentrated on bringing his water temperature to a boiling point. His form finally became so hot that the lock melted in his hands, freeing the doors of the van. Wasting no time, he swung them both open to free the captives inside.

He hopped up onto the floor of the armored van and smiled as he looked at the occupants inside. Megavolt was giving him a shocked expression, much like the guards had. Being that he was an electric infused rodent, he slid a little bit away from the canine, not wanting to get wet. Quackerjack lifted his head from his hands and he could see tear stains running beneath the eye holes of his harlequin hat. His mouth fell open a bit at the sight of the watery dog and his gaze traveled up and down the figure before him in disbelief. Bushroot sat straight up at the sight of him. Being a mutant himself, he didn't seem quite as intimidated as the others, so he was the one who finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Who are you?" He whispered quietly, as if afraid he would wake up from some kind of dream. "Why did you try to save us?"

"'Why?'" Liquidator repeated with his signature smile. "Why, Reggie my friend, that is a silly question with an obvious answer. The three of you tried to save **me**, so this satisfied customer felt that it was only fair trade that he come and save all of you."

"I don't understand...When did we...?" Bushroot trailed off slowly, examining the liquid dog. He sucked in his breath as the answer hit him. "Buddy? You're Bud Flood?"

Megavolt and Quackerjack both stared at Bushroot before turning their hopeful gazes back on Liquidator. The ex-salesman nodded his assent and disbelief turned to happiness as they all smiled back at him.

"Marketing research shows that you are half right, my plant loving associate." Liquidator explained with his salesman's voice. "I was formerly Bud Flood, but analysts everywhere suggest that name no longer properly defines this canine."

"Then, what do you want to be called?" Megavolt asked as he got up.

"I am the Liquidator!" He announced proudly as the three of them came forward to greet him. "You're new and improved friend and teammate in the fight against Negaduck!"

* * *

Liquidator opened his eyes to glance at the two children sprawled out on the floor. They had been quiet the entire time he was talking, not trying to interrupt him even once. He had not gone into great detail with them about his torture or his "death,"but he had given them the gist of it. The liquid dog was attempting to gauge their emotions before he concluded his story, but he wasn't having much luck. Both of them were still gazing at him intently, waiting for him to finish. After a moment's pause, he continued from where he left off.

"After the four of us had escaped and were safely back at Megavolt's Lighthouse, well, any journalist would be shamed by the number of questions the Liquidator was given about how I became what I was. The next day, while the others were recovering, I decided to show some appreciation to the so-called ruler of the Negaverse by giving him an exclusive meeting with the new and improved Liquidator. Unfortunately, my plan to use my powers to stop him backfired and I ended up as a concrete statue. Megavolt, Bushroot and Quackerjack had to save me from Negaduck's front lawn with the help of two young associates if I recall correctly." He gave a bright smile to the kids sitting on the ground, who both gave a small smile back.

"Once I had been released from my concrete prison, I was given a stern lecture about going solo and getting myself into trouble. After giving somewhere around fifty different apologies to the guys, we decided that we were going to work as a team from now on. Since there were now four of us and Quackerjack insisted that we needed a name, we decided on The Friendly Four. My induction into the Friendly Four marks the end of my story. I truly thank my audience for their undivided attention."

The ex-salesman had hoped that this last line would prod Gosalyn and Tank into talking or asking questions. Instead, the two kids looked at each other for a moment, then focused their eyes on the ground as if they didn't know what to say.

"This amateur storyteller certainly hopes that he hasn't upset you both." He spoke in a soft voice with a frown on his fluid features.

Even after he said this, the kids on the floor remained silent. Finally, Gosalyn got up and straightened out her dress after it got a little wrinkled from sitting so long. Once her outfit was in satisfactory condition, the curly-haired duckling walked up to her foster parent and gave him a big hug.

"You haven't upset us." Gosalyn said in a low voice as she rested her head on his wet shoulder and spoke into one of his long ears. "It's just that we don't know what to say. It's hard when you care about someone so much. You want them to care about you too, more than anything, but then they end up hurting you. I can't say I really understand it. All I can say is that I'm sorry."

"That's more than enough." Liquidator wrapped his arms around his daughter tightly, a feeling of contentment stealing over him. The unconditional love of a child was more than enough.

"You weren't wrong you know." Tank informed him as he got to his feet and straightened his glasses.

"About what?" He asked curiously.

"About how the people of St. Canard wanted to live." The young child genius folded his hands behind his back as he went into explanation mode. "Part of the reason Negaduck and my parents despised you so much was that you did inspire people. Your reputation as an honest businessman was well known. You had money and power, yet you decided to work for the good of St. Canard instead of aiding its destruction for your own gains. Your actions proved that good people still lived in the city and that things could be different in the Negaverse." Tank walked over to Liquidator and gave him a side hug with a knowing grin on his face. "Believe me, you couldn't have infuriated Negaduck, my parents or any of his other cronies more if you had tried."

Grinning widely about that sentiment, he ruffled Tank's hair, then placed an arm around him. Liquidator peacefully held the two children in his arms for a moment longer, before someone knocked against the wall to get their attention. The three of them looked to see Megavolt smiling hesitantly at them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but it's almost time for dinner." His mismatched eyes met the ex-salesman's as he said this. The water dog let go of Gosalyn and Tank, giving them each a little push in the electric rat's direction.

"No apologies necessary. This current transaction was explained in full detail and is now completed."

"Good, because I know a certain plant duck who could use some help setting the table." The rodent said in a not so subtle you need to do as I say fashion. Neither Tank nor Gosalyn complained about this chore assignment, not that their guardians had thought they would. They were both too well behaved to act like that. As they started walking towards the kitchen, Gosalyn noticed that her foster parents weren't following.

"Aren't you two coming?" She inquired in a sweet voice.

"We'll both be joining you both in a minute." Megavolt ruffled her hair with a gloved hand and grinned as he made it stand some of the strands stand up with static electricity. His young daughter hastily brushed it back down, hating to be unkempt. "Go on now."

Obediently, the red-haired duckling exited the living room with Tank and went into the kitchen to help Bushroot out with dinner. Once the two kids were gone, Megavolt's gaze went back to his liquid teammate with a concerned look on his face.

"You told them then." It wasn't a question. Liquidator just nodded along and the electric rat sighed. "I see."

"Are you angry?" Liquidator asked, losing his ad jargon. He knew it wouldn't be appreciated at the moment.

"No, not angry. I knew it had to be done eventually. How did they take it?"

"Better than I expected. The two of them truly are mature for their age." His prideful smile faded and his eyes clouded with sadness as he thought over their pasts. "Of course, when you know what they've lived through, I suppose it's not a surprise that they're the way they are."

"No, it isn't." Megavolt replied with a frown before asking the question that had really been on his mind. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

"Fine." The liquid dog said with a dismissive shrug. "It's been a while since it happened, after all."

"Not long enough." Megavolt said wisely. Liquidator met his friend's eyes in curiosity as he went on. "You're still angry about it. If you weren't, you wouldn't act the way you do around Morgana." He held his hands up to forestall a retort from his watery companion. "I'm not defending what she did. It was horrible and if you hated her for the rest of your life, I wouldn't blame you. However, I also don't think it's good for you to keep holding on to this."

"And what would you like me to do? Forgive her?" The words came out in an hiss lined with venom.

"Nothing of the sort." The rodent responded in a calm voice. Mad as he was, he knew that Liquidator would never hurt him. "But, I want you to understand something. You're not just hurting her when you cling to your past like this. You're hurting yourself."

Liquidator opened his mouth and looked as though he wanted to argue, but then he shut it wordlessly. The ex-salesman had been rendered speechless, which was no easy thing to accomplish. Megavolt lips twitched into a small smile as he brought his gloved hands up to his face and sent little sparks between his fingers.

"When my experiment was sabotaged, the static shock built up so much that it caused an explosion and sent electricity into my blood stream. After I saw what my powers could do, I decided to put them to use against Negaduck. Our battle at my high school prom would be the start of my campaign to stop him from destroying St. Canard. A battle that lasted for nearly a decade.

"With everything that was going on, I never really thought about the life I left behind when I became Megavolt. It was only after Darkwing defeated him while traveling in between dimensions that I started thinking about it. My powers have altered my physical appearance greatly, to the point where no one would recognize me from my old high school picture. I've spent so much of my time strategizing and fighting against Negaduck that I rarely did anything else these past years. That's when I began wondering what my life would have been like if my accident hadn't happened."

"And?" Liquidator prodded when Megavolt paused. "This impatient customer would like to know what daydreams my electric associate has come up with."

"Nothing wild, I can tell you that much." He responded with a shake of his head. "Just, you know, normal stuff. If things hadn't happened the way they had, maybe I would have gone on to a fancy college outside of this city and got a degree in electrical engineering. Maybe I could have found a way to revolutionize the world of energy and gotten some fancy prize for my research. Then, with all the money I earned from my experiments, I would buy a big house with a decked out car that I could ride around in. Maybe I could even have found someone special, gotten married and had a kid." Megavolt looked a bit sheepish as finished his list and continued talking. "I came up with all these wonderful fantasies about what my life **would** have been like if I hadn't gotten my powers. But that's the point, isn't it? All these things I came up with were just fantasies. They were just a bunch of empty daydreams that can never come true. When I realized that, I was glad I hadn't wasted time thinking over what my life could have been like. Dwelling on what might have been or could have been doesn't change anything."

Megavolt met Liquidator's eyes again as the canine began to look more and more solemn.

"Buddy, neither one of us can go back in time and change the past." The rat said gently. "Holding on to the bitterness and pain of what happened back then is only going to keep you from truly living in the present. I'm not saying forget it, but I would ask you to think about the good things that have happened since then. I mean, you have us, right?"

"Yes, you're right." Liquidator replied quietly with a genuine smile spreading across his muzzle. "The Negaverse is starting to turn around for the better and the four of us get to raise two sweet children in the environment they should have been living in from the start."

The liquid dog suddenly let out a watery chuckle and Megavolt eyed him curiously.

"What's funny?"

"Oh, I just realized that Negaduck, though he absolutely tried his best to keep me from it, gave me exactly what I wanted." He looked at Megavolt with a small smirk on his face, as if he was laughing at an inside joke. "He gave me a family."

"Yes, you're right. He did." The rodent replied simply. "Speaking of which, they're probably wondering why we're not at the dinner table with them."

"Psychological studies show that there are positive affects on children when all family members are present at dinner." Liquidator stated as he got off the couch and started sloshing towards the kitchen. "Besides, anything that's good for those two kids is probably good for us too."

"True." Megavolt replied before turning to his friend with a big grin. "Could you imagine what Negaduck would do if he was told that he was responsible for creating our little family?"

"Oh, this fanciful consumer could only hope that he would get into such a fit of rage that all logic and reason would leave him. Then, he would fire up his chainsaw and try to cut the Liquidator with it, thus shorting out his chainsaw and possibly electrocuting himself." Liquidator returned the wide grin of his friend as he finished his scenario. "A winning possibility for all involved."

Megavolt laughed as they entered the kitchen. The others were already sitting around the table and they stared curiously as the mirthful pair sat down with them. Quackerjack demanded to know what was so funny and Liquidator explained the hypothetical situation to it. Bushroot laughed about it just as Megavolt had. Quackerjack, on the other hand, decided to add his own crazy spin on the situation, eventually making it so unbelievable that Tank had to chime in with all the scientific facts and statistics to show why it wouldn't work the way the jester wanted. Gosalyn, listening quietly all the while, then praised Tank for his brilliance and Quackerjack for his imagination.

As the conversation progressed to other topics, Liquidator felt grateful to be in the company of good friends. Though terrible things had happened to him in his life, many good things had come out of it as well. Smiling to himself and happy with things as they were at the moment, the water dog began feeling content for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Author's Note: It's finished! This one took a while to write out, but it was a lot of fun to work on. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this piece. I know it was much darker than anything I've written so far, but this story has been in my head for a while now. I am happy with how it turned out for the most part. Hopefully, the people who have read this have enjoyed it. Again, thanks for reading!


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